Girlfriend of Marshawn Kneeland breaks silence after his tragic death as Dallas Cowboys coach reveals she is pregnant

The girlfriend of Dallas Cowboys star Marshawn Kneeland has spoken out for the first time since his death after it was revealed she is pregnant with his baby.

The sudden death of the 24-year-old Dallas Cowboys defensive end left the NFL community in shock after it was confirmed that he took his own life in the early hours of Thursday (November 7).

According to audio obtained by CBS News Texas from the Plano Police Department’s dispatch, a welfare concern was raised after Kneeland sent a goodbye message to a group of friends via text late Wednesday night.

The dispatcher explained: "We’re getting a call from a friend of the resident, they just received a text from him, a group text, from him saying goodbye.

"They are concerned for his welfare."

Marshawn Kneeland took his own life at the age of 24. Credit: Cooper Neill/Getty Images

At around 11:40PM, officers responded to Kneeland’s Plano apartment, where they found no signs of life inside.

This was the second time that night that they had been dispatched to the address.

Earlier, at 11PM, police were alerted to a vehicle crash on the Dallas Parkway near Warren Parkway.

The car, which had been involved in a high-speed chase with Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers, was linked to Kneeland’s apartment, and the driver was identified as the defensive end.

However, after a search, Kneeland was found dead at 1:31AM from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

His death has left NFL fans, teammates, and his loved ones devastated, especially after it was revealed that Kneeland's girlfriend, 22-year-old Catalina Mancera, is expecting their first child.

News of the pregnancy was confirmed by Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, 52, who said during a press conference that the club has set up a memorial fund to support Mancera and the unborn baby.

He said: "She's pregnant and so we want to make sure she is taken care of and the baby is taken care of for the rest of their lives. It's very important to our guys and to us.

"The organisation have been amazing, we've started the Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund where we can all give and support Catalina."

Mancera also briefly spoke out for the first time since the tragic death of her partner, telling the Daily Mail: "It's too much. I'm grieving hard right now. It will be a long time before I'll feel ready to talk at any length.

"We're still in the early stages of everything. We are working on the funeral arrangements. I don't know where it's going to be yet."

It comes after it was revealed that Mancera was the one who phone the police to warn that Kneeland had a gun and was in danger of hurting himself after he refused to pull over for a traffic violation in Frisco, Texas.

His team and manager paid tribute. Credit: Brooke Sutton/Getty Images

Police audio shared after the chase showed a dispatcher saying: "We're talking to the girlfriend… she's saying he's armed and has a history of mental illness and her quote was 'he will end it all'."

Mancera and Kneeland had first met when he was at Western Michigan University and had been together ever since.

Kneeland had lost his own mother, Wendy, last year, when the 45-year-old died from an accidental drug overdose at her home in Buckeye, Arizona, per the Daily Mail.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.

Featured image credit: Cooper Neill/Getty Images