Girlfriend of late Marshawn Kneeland gives birth to their son, Makhai
On June 11, the girlfriend of the late Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland — Catalina Mancera — gave birth to the couple’s son, Makhai, she announced on her Instagram on Monday.
As the Dallas Cowboys arrived for mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, head coach Brian Schottenheimer showed a picture of the baby to the team before hitting the practice field.
“We actually showed a picture of Makhai today, so congrats to Catalina,” Schottenheimer said. “I actually saw her a couple of weeks ago at [DeMarvion Overshown’s] wedding. She was there. Everybody’s doing great. The guys were fired up and excited.”
Kneeland passed away at the age of 24 due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound just a few miles from the Cowboys’ facility in Frisco. After a brief traffic chase with police, Kneeland abandoned his vehicle and escaped on foot before being discovered a few hours later.
The event sent shockwaves through the Cowboys and the NFL as a whole in large part for a bigger conversation around mental health in the league. Since then, the Cowboys have continued to keep Kneeland’s name alive in the facility and continue to show support to his family.
“We’ve got a marker down in the players’ lounge supporting, and it says ‘One Love’, big bright star because that was one of Marshawn’s sayings. When you’re part of our family, you’re family for life, and so we want to make sure we do a great job of looking out for her and baby Makhai.”
Shortly after the defensive lineman’s passing, the Kneeland family set up a fund for Mancera and the now-newborn baby. As the baby boy walks into his life, the Cowboys will remain a part of his journey.
