FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys have been very open about the pain they’re feeling having lost a “brother’’ to suicide.

And now for the first time, the girlfriend of Marshawn Kneeland is speaking out as well.

The Daily Mail reports that it has visited with Catalina Mancera, 22, and that she “put on a brave face’’ as she discussed briefly her loss.

‘“I’m grieving hard right now,’’ she said. “It will be a long time before I’ll feel ready to talk at any length.

“It’s just too much.’’

Kneeland, 24, committed suicide last week, sending his family and friends and the Cowboys locker room into an emotional whirl.

Mancera told the outlet she would not speculate on what drove Kneeland to take his own life just a couple of days after the second-year defensive player scored his first NFL touchdown in front of millions on “Monday Night Football.’’

But as the Cowboys are setting up a fund to help the grieving family - Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer on Wednesday here at The Star noted that Mancera is pregnant - the family itself is dealing with some harsh realities.

“We’re still in the early stages of everything,’’ Mancera said. “We are working on the funeral arrangements. I don’t know where it’s going to be yet.’

Schottenheimer on Wednesday spoke publicly for the first time on how he and his team have dealt with the loss.

“He had the most playful spirit of any young man I’ve been around,” Schottenheimer said in his opening remarks. “His smile could take you to your knees. In terms of him as an athlete, no one had a better motor than him. My heart is heavy, our team’s heart is heavy.

“We do this together. We don’t move on, but we do move forward.”

The team has now held a series of meeting during which players and coaches have been able to express their grief. That included a Tuesday candlelight vigil inside the Ford Center.

“The vigil, it was beautifully done, beautifully done,” Schottenheimer said. “It was difficult as you can imagine. A couple of players spoke, but it’s the one thing that Catalina, his girlfriend, that was very important to her. Of course, these guys are incredible and they showed up in droves to support her.”

Among those who have stepped up: Quarterback Dak Prescott and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas, both of whom have lost a sibling to suicide.

Life goes on - difficult as that can be - and now the 3-5-1 Cowboys turn their attention to another Monday night game in the spotlight, this one at the Las Vegas Raiders.

“There’s no playbook,” Schottenheimer said of dealing this with sort of crisis. “Some guys, getting out on the grass is going to be the best thing in the world for them,” he said. “Some guys, getting out on the grass is going to be painful and that’s OK. And we’re going to give each other grace and time.

"But I do promise you this – these guys will be ready to play against the Raiders. And we will honor Marshawn with how we play, not just against the Raiders, but for the rest of the season.”

The Dallas Cowboys have set up the Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund to raise money for his family, including his unborn child. You can donate to the fund by clicking here.