Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer has revealed that the late Marshawn Kneeland's girlfriend is pregnant.
Schottenheimer met with the media following the Cowboys' bye week when he revealed that Kneeland's girlfriend, Catalina Mancera, is expecting the couple's first child together. She spoke out on Monday (Nov. 10) following the Cowboys' defensive end's death last week.
“I’m grieving hard right now,” Catalina Mancera told the Daily Mail on Monday, November 10. “It will be a long time before I’ll feel ready to talk at any length.”
During Schottenheimer's first meeting with the media since Kneeland's death, the first-year head coach remembered Kneeland for his warmth and contagious smile.
“Marshawn loved the words one love, so we talked a lot about love as we grieved,” Schottenheimer said of the Cowboys' private celebration of Kneeland's life.
“His smile could take you to your knees. In terms of him as an athlete, no one had a better motor than him.”
Kneeland died on Thursday, Nov. 6, following a brief police chase. The NFL star was found dead near his abandoned car on the Dallas Parkway due to an apparent suicide. Mancera told authorities that Kneeland had “a history of mental illness.”
The family spoke out following the death of Kneeland who was in his second-year in the NFL. He scored his first-ever career touchdown during the Monday Night Football game against the Arizona Cardinals. While Mancera hasn't responded to the pregnancy reveal, she stated on Monday that the family is continuing to grieve the loss of Kneeland and are preparing for burial services.
“We’re still in the early stages of everything,” Mancera added. “We are working on the funeral arrangements. I don’t know where it’s going to be yet.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently revealed that the team will honor Kneeland throughout the season with special decals on their helmets.
