Cowboys Privately Honor Marshawn Kneeland On Tragic Anniversary: 'Huddle 94'

The Dallas Cowboys have begun plans to honor former player Marshawn Kneeland on the anniversary of his tragic death.

Kneeland, a former second-round pick, lost his life on November 6 last year after an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The news of his death shattered everyone in the Cowboys organization and the wider football world.

With Dallas having to play a game against the Las Vegas Raiders, it was an emotionally charged game.

READ MORE:  Loser Mentality? Jerry Jones Stunningly Reveals Cowboys 'Conservative' Mindset

We heard from head coach Brian Schotteheimer multiple times after Marshawn's death, and were brought to tears, as it is something that still haunts us to this day.

And as the anniversary of his tragic passing edges closer, Schottenheimer revealed that the organization has begun talks about how they will honor him.

"Yeah, we have begun to have those conversations with the guys," Schottenheimer said. "It is coming up on the anniversary. We miss Marshawn so much. What we do to honor him and his legacy will probably stay between us.

"But there's not a day that doesn't go by that we don't miss him. Obviously, the grief is real, the pain is real and we've got a number of things here in the facility that honor him in different ways that are in areas that only the players see."

READ MORE:  Cowboys Sign New Running Back, Release Lengthy Injury Update

The Cowboys, in the weeks after his passing, established the Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund, which gives lifelong financial security to Kneeland's girlfriend, Catalina Mancera, who was pregnant at the time, and their unborn child (now named Makhai).

And Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, in speaking on the one-year anniversary of Marshawn's passing, revealed that the locker room has created an initiative to honor him, called Huddle 94.

“(It’s) allowing us to create conversations and get together in smaller groups that talk about life and talk about things that are stressors to us that if it was something that we had, may have helped Marshawn," Prescott said. "It may have been something that would have been a resource for him to prevent what inevitably happened.

“Just trying to honor him by creating those conversations, by creating that group. I think it’s going be big. I think it’s going be needed, just even hearing from the introduction about it, how guys felt about it. I’m excited to do it. At the same time, you’re honoring Marshawn. You’re getting to bring up conversations of how people felt about him and what he meant to us."

"He’s missed greatly from a lot of people around here, and in this organization."

READ MORE:  Eagles Announce Cowboys Ex QB Joe Milton As New Starter

Given how the season has gone for the Cowboys and the pressure and scrutiny the entire franchise is under, this perhaps puts everything into perspective.

It is just a game, after all.

Everyone gets to go home to their families, partners, wives, and the sun comes up tomorrow, no matter the result. 

Often, we can get too caught up in the emotion of football that sometimes we forget the human element of it, and with Marshawn's anniversary here, it just reminds us of how fragile life can be.

The Cowboys will be honoring Kneeland in the coming days, and his memory and legacy will be forever lasting as part of the organization's history.

Continue to rest in peace, Marshawn.