Stephen Jones breaks silence on Marshawn Kneeland’s heartbreaking passing — and his words hit deeper than anyone expected.QQ
FRISCO, Texas — As the Cowboys begin the week of preparation to come off the bye and face the Raiders next Monday night, the team is still mourning the tragic loss of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland.
For the first time on Monday, Cowboys COO/co-owner Stephen Jones spoke on Kneeland’s passing.
“This is very difficult,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. “I can’t imagine for his family. And then of course, you talk about his extended family, which is his teammates and the Cowboys organization and everybody who cared and loved Marshawn so much.”
Jones said that he received a phone call on Thursday night about the situation, one of the late-night phone calls that universally never are for something good. In his words, the type of call he received was “heartbreaking, tragic, and just the worst thing you can imagine.”
“Any time you get news like that, your heart just, obviously it’s like a hole going through it,” Jones added. “You’re just heartbroken. Certainly hoping that that wasn’t the case… Woke up and was hoping it was a dream, but unfortunately it wasn’t.”
Dating back to last Thursday, when Kneeland passed, and into Sunday’s NFL slate, teams across the league honored him with a moment of silence ahead of kickoff, which was a touching tribute.
“Whenever I’ve personally been involved in losing somebody, it always is good for your heart and soul when people either observe moments of silence or they send notes or whatever their method is of letting them know you’re thinking about you,” Jones said. “Certainly, I’m sure to some degree that’s how they feel, I’m not walking in their shoes.”
The Cowboys are working with Kneeland’s family and loved ones to figure out a way to commemorate and honor Marshawn going forward, per Jones. For now, they’ll prepare to go back on the field, as difficult as that may seem without a beloved member of the team.
“We’re just going to miss him so much.” Jones said.
