Marshawn Kneeland, 24, former Dallas Cowboys lineman, cause of death revealed: Full story inside

Marshawn Kneeland's mysterious death in November last year left many wondering what actually happened to former Dallas Cowboys lineman after a police chase his car rolled over near Dallas Parkway.

Kneeland was speeding in his car, reaching speed limits of over 145 mph during a police chase on November 5.

Now, after 8 months into his death, Kneeland’s cause of death has been described as CTE stage 1, a chronic traumatic encephalopathy, when he died by suicide last year.

The Boston University’s CTE Center diagnosed CTE through postmortem of brain tissue analysis.

The center’s director, Dr Ann Mckee shares his analysis, stating, “Unfortunately, I was not surprised to find CTE in the brain of Mr Kneeland.

“Because we have found this progressive brain disease in nearly half of the athletes we’ve studied who have died before the age of 30.”

On the other hand, Kneeland’s family issued a statement and said the diagnosis provided “important context” about some of the struggles he was facing.

What’s CTE?

As per study findings of the Boston University CTE Center, American football athletes, rugby players, and combat sports are at greater risk of developing CTE when compared with the masses.

However, CTE is only diagnosed after death, and in the past it has been discovered in the brains of hundreds of former NFL players.

The primary source of the disease is repeated blows to the head.

Just in 2023, the CTE Center in Boston reported that 345 out of 376 former NFL players examined had been diagnosed with CTE.

The disease slowly hampered brain functions in its initial stage, some experienced short-term memory loss, depression, aggressive tendencies.

While in the advanced stages, these issues develop more strongly, coupled with mood swings and suicidal thoughts, which can appear.

The final stage proves lethal; a person can suffer from severe cognition issues and memory loss, alongside dementia.

How did Texas police discover Marshawn Kneeland’s body?

Ex. Dallas Cowboys player went missing after his car rolled over before making multiple “unsafe lane changes.”

The police chase began around 10:33 p.m. on November 5, when an officer from the Texas Department of Public Safety first observed his overspeeding.

The Texas police officials discovered Kneeland’s car (Dodge Charger) in a grass field on the Dallas Parkway.

But Kneeland was not found inside the car; what the officers found out was an empty holster, which prompted them to launch a search operation using canies and aircraft.

At midnight, around 1:30 a.m. on November 6, with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a portable toilet.