FRISCO, Texas — Solomon Thomas and a group of Dallas Cowboys teammates spent Monday packing food for people experiencing homelessness at Metrocrest Services, combining charitable work with private team care as the club continued to grieve the death of teammate Marshawn Kneeland. The activity followed the team’s first in-person meeting since Kneeland’s passing, a session led by head coach Brian Schottenheimer alongside the team’s independent psychologist and security director. Thomas framed the day as both a way to serve the community and a means for teammates to be together and process loss. The players said unity, counseling access and honoring Kneeland’s spirit are central to how the team plans to move forward this week ahead of a game against the Raiders.
Key takeaways
- On Monday in Frisco, Solomon Thomas and at least nine teammates packed food at Metrocrest Services as part of Thomas’ foundation, The Defensive Line, to support people in crisis.
- Players present included Osa Odighizuwa, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Perrion Winfrey, James Houston, Payton Turner, Jay Toia, Earnest Brown, Dayo Odeleye and Isaiah Land alongside Thomas.
- The team held its first in-person meeting since Kneeland’s death, led by coach Brian Schottenheimer, team psychologist Heather Twedell and director of team security Cable Johnson.
- Thomas founded The Defensive Line in honor of his sister Ella, who died by suicide in January 2018; the foundation targets youth suicide prevention for young people of color.
- Thomas’ parents participated in Monday’s volunteer work, with his mother volunteering alongside players at Metrocrest Services.
- The Cowboys intend to honor Kneeland’s memory on and off the field and face the Raiders in seven days, a short timeline the team acknowledged is emotionally difficult.
Background
The Dallas Cowboys organization is managing an acute grief response after the death of defensive back Marshawn Kneeland. Teams in professional sports increasingly combine on-field continuity with formal mental-health support and community outreach when a roster member dies, balancing competitive schedules with collective mourning. Solomon Thomas has personal experience with loss: his sister Ella died by suicide in January 2018, and three years later he launched The Defensive Line to fight youth suicide in communities of color. That prior work informs Thomas’ approach now, translating private grief into public service while encouraging teammates to seek counseling and lean on one another.
Metrocrest Services, the site of Monday’s packing activity, is a Frisco-based nonprofit that provides social services and crisis stabilization for individuals, families and seniors. For the Cowboys, partnering with local providers offers a structured way to channel emotion into tangible help for community members facing hardship. At the same time, the club has convened licensed mental-health professionals and security staff to create a controlled environment where players can express feelings and access resources without media pressure.
Main event
Players gathered at the Metrocrest Services facility and assembled food packages intended for people experiencing homelessness and families in need. The volunteer shift came after the club’s emotionally charged in-person meeting, and multiple players opted to join Thomas rather than stay away from the facility. Team members described the volunteer work as a natural extension of their desire to be together; Thomas told teammates he understood if anyone preferred not to attend, and every invited player chose to participate.
The earlier team meeting was led by head coach Brian Schottenheimer with the participation of team independent psychologist Heather Twedell and director of team security Cable Johnson. Thomas described the session as candid and necessary, noting therapists were brought into the building to offer a safe space for players to express emotions and begin processing. The meeting followed a virtual gathering the previous week where leaders, including Dak Prescott, addressed the roster shortly after news of Kneeland’s death emerged.
Thomas spoke to teammates in the virtual meeting, offering support, urging players to use available resources and reminding them that some elements of Kneeland’s inner life may remain unknown. He emphasized the importance of love and togetherness in getting through the immediate aftermath. Thomas also acknowledged his own triggers tied to his sister’s death, saying that responsibility to teammates and the community motivates his outreach work.
Analysis & implications
The Cowboys’ combined approach of immediate counseling access, private team meetings and public charity work reflects a broader shift in professional sports toward integrating mental-health care into organizational practice. Bringing psychologists and security into an on-site meeting both protects players’ privacy and signals institutional recognition that grief affects performance, morale and day-to-day well-being. For a team with a tight schedule, providing structured emotional supports can reduce the risk of unresolved trauma influencing preparation and game-day behavior.
Thomas’ leadership role and the visibility of The Defensive Line create a bridge between internal healing and community actions that can reshape how teammates and fans interpret the club’s response. Public acts of service serve dual purposes: they honor the deceased and help participants find agency in the face of loss. That said, turning mourning into motivation for on-field tribute introduces complex questions about pacing and expectations—players and coaches must balance honoring a teammate with preserving mental and physical readiness.
On a practical level, the Cowboys face the near-term challenge of preparing for a game against the Raiders in seven days, a compressed timeline for emotional recovery. While some teams have historically postponed activities or games after a death, league policy and scheduling constraints often mean clubs must continue competing while managing internal grief. The Cowboys’ decision to mobilize therapy, security and peer support is an attempt to mitigate that tension and provide players with tools to proceed safely.
Comparison & data
| Activity | Participants |
|---|---|
| Food-packing at Metrocrest Services | Solomon Thomas; O. Odighizuwa; D. Ezeiruaku; P. Winfrey; J. Houston; P. Turner; J. Toia; E. Brown; D. Odeleye; I. Land; Thomas’ mother |
| In-person team meeting | Led by Brian Schottenheimer; Heather Twedell (team psychologist); Cable Johnson (director of team security) |
The table summarizes the two primary responses documented: community service and an organized team meeting with mental-health support. Together they illustrate a two-pronged strategy—external service and internal care—designed to help players grieve while retaining organizational stability. This pattern aligns with recent NFL trends in which clubs deploy licensed clinicians and structured peer support after traumatic events.
Reactions & quotes
Players and staff described the day as emotionally taxing but necessary, emphasizing the importance of shared presence and professional support.
“We needed a day to be human and to cry, and coach made that possible by bringing therapists into the building,”
Solomon Thomas
Thomas framed the volunteer activity as an extension of that care, saying teammates chose to be together and to help others as a way to process grief.
“They all wanted to come and just be around each other; we felt the absence and wanted to love on each other,”
Solomon Thomas
Team leadership emphasized the importance of creating safe spaces and allowing players to express emotions without stigma.
“Bringing in professionals and letting players show true emotions was necessary for everyone involved,”
Team sources (coach and staff comments)
Unconfirmed
- Public reports have not disclosed full details about the circumstances of Marshawn Kneeland’s death; specifics remain private and unconfirmed by the team in public statements.
- There is no confirmed public plan yet for a team memorial, commemorative jersey patch or league-level tribute; any future memorial arrangements have not been announced.
Bottom line
The Cowboys have combined counseling, private team discussion and public service as a coordinated response to Marshawn Kneeland’s death. Solomon Thomas’ leadership—rooted in his own history of loss and in his work with The Defensive Line—has shaped a response that prioritizes togetherness, access to mental-health care and community support.
In the coming days the organization will face the practical test of balancing grief with a normal competitive schedule; the choices it makes may influence team cohesion, individual recovery and how other clubs handle similar crises. For now, players and staff say they will honor Kneeland by preserving his spirit of hard play and camaraderie while continuing to seek professional help and leaning on community connections.