Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spoke publicly on Tuesday for the first time since second-year defensive end Marshawn Kneeland's tragic death.
Jones said he was "devastated" when he found out the news, telling 105.3 The Fan that it was "just hard to believe the content that was on the other phone in the middle of the night when we all got the news."
Police said Kneeland was found dead early Thursday of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound after leading officers on a chase when he didn't pull over for a traffic stop. Authorities lost sight of Kneeland's vehicle, and the 24-year-old was found dead about three hours after fleeing the scene of an accident on foot, police said.
Jones said on Tuesday that the team will wear a special helmet decal for the remainder of the season to honor Kneeland. The Cowboys will wear commemorative t-shirts during warmups ahead of their Week 11 game at the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night and their following home game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 23.
The Cowboys were on bye this past week and returned to the team facility on Monday for the first time since Kneeland's death.
"We all are having to share the sorrow, all are having to share the different ways or different things that come through your mind. It's not light that as a teammate, Marshawn touched everybody in many different ways," Jones said on Tuesday. "The very definition of team is we love each other, we rely on each other. That's the ethos of what a team is about. Everybody expects that this is a rough game, it takes some real mental toughness to play the game, but in fact there's a lot of love for each other there that is shared in unique ways, and you get to know each other pretty good.
"Sports emphasizes so many things that we all want, to some degree, to hang our hat on. But this is a reality check that at the end of the day, the human things of having someone's company on earth, being able to be involved with them for the time that we're here, they're here, all of those things come to mind in times like this."
Jones credited head coach Brian Schottenheimer for helping guide the team through an emotional meeting on Monday.
"Schotty does have a realism about him because he simply was born into it in terms of being around anything unique about a football team," Jones said. "I think we all have unfettered feelings about the people we love, people we work with. This is just a time when you acknowledge that there's no answers. It makes you want to live life to the fullest, it makes you want to look for the very best in what we have for each other, and in some way make some sense out of these times."
If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.
For more information on mental health, visit www.mentalhealth.gov or call 1-800-273-TALK. Current and former NFL players/coaches can visit the league's Player Engagement website at www.nflplayerengagement.com
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
