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ALLEN PARK – Caught off guard by the passing of someone he once sat next to during team meetings, Detroit Lions defensive end Tyrus Wheat candidly spoke on the passing of Dallas Cowboys defender Marshawn Kneeland. Kneeland, a Grand Rapids native and former Western Michigan standout, died Thursday morning in Frisco, Texas, as a result of a “self-inflicted gunshot wound,” per a release from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). Before the Lions claimed Wheat off waivers in August after his release by the Cowboys, he and Kneeland were teammates for roughly a year and a half. Still in disbelief and in the dark about the details of Kneeland’s death, Wheat spoke at his locker following Thursday’s practice. “It was crazy that he did that. He was a good dude, and I don’t know what he was going through, but he had similar people that were going through mental health stuff, so he could have talked to them — people like Sally (Solomon Thomas) and Dak Prescott and stuff. I don’t know all the details of it. I wasn’t there. But I talked to him — we had a group chat.” Wheat further shared that Kneeland was “humorous” and added, “He’d give you anything you need. He’d take care of you. Fun dude to be around.” The Cowboys are currently on a bye week, and their locker room is “scattered all over the place,” Wheat said, adding that he’s been in touch with his former teammates through their group chat since the news broke. “Everybody’s going through it. They’re on the bye anyway, so they’re scrambling, saying, ‘If y’all need anything, just let us know,’” Wheat said. “Solomon is the main one. He had that situation with his sister, so he knows how it is. He’s got a foundation and stuff for that. But yeah, he was the main one — he was hurt by it and then he was just telling everybody if they need somebody to talk to, he’s there for them. He’ll cry with them and stuff like that, so I respect Solomon.” Thomas, in his first season with Dallas, lost his older sister to suicide in 2018 at the age of 24. He later founded The Defensive Line, a nonprofit organization aimed at reducing youth suicide. With things still fresh, Wheat said he’s unsure if he will be able to attend Kneeland’s services, as he’s waiting to see what the family decides regarding arrangements. “If I can, I’ll definitely go, but I don’t know that situation,” Wheat said. “I don’t know anything yet. I’ve got to get more details.” The Cowboys selected Kneeland in the second round of last year’s NFL draft with the 56th overall pick.
