Marshawn Kneeland death: Matt Rhule makes passionate mental health plea after Cowboys DE's suicide

Nebraska and head coach Matt Rhule are working through their own adversity this week after losing star sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola to a season-ending leg injury in last Saturday’s 21-17 loss to USC. But as he closed his regular Thursday press conference in Lincoln, the third-year Cornhuskers head coach made it a point to address the importance of mental health in light of today’s news out of Dallas.

Dallas Cowboys second-year defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, 24, was pronounced dead early Thursday morning of a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a brief police pursuit, according to a statement released later Thursday by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The Cowboys formally announced Kneeland’s passing Thursday in their own statement.

With Kneeland on his mind, Rhule closed Thursday’s press conference with a lengthy commentary about mental health, and revealed he took the opportunity to remind his own players about the importance of connecting with one another and reaching out even if it’s not always easy to do.

“Seeing the tragic news out of Dallas today, understand that none of us know what people are going through. That’s why I think we all should be careful about what we say to people,” Rhule said Thursday, according to Lincoln Journal Star columnist Amie Just. “I think we should be cognizant of what everyone’s going through. … I told our players they should take their headphones off in the cafeteria and sit down with someone and be like, ‘How you doin’, man? What’s going on with you?'”

Matt Rhule cites suicide of former Temple LB Adrian Robinson in mental health discussion

Rhule then opened up about his own experience with suicide, specifically the death of former Temple linebacker Adrian Robinson, who died by hanging in May 2015, just weeks after signing with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats following a three-year NFL career. Rhule, who was the Owls’ head coach between 2013-16, was an assistant coach throughout Robinson’s tenure (2008-12) at Temple.

“It’s just awful, awful, awful news. I’ve given the eulogy for players of mine who’ve had the same thing happen. You just never know what people are going through,” Rhule continued. “I will forever, for the rest of my life, think about the time that I saw Adrian Robinson right before he took his own life. I saw him on campus and … I was like, ‘I need to catch up with Adrian.’ A week later, he left this world and a month later I was giving the eulogy. I wish in my life, I could go back and just stop and say, ‘Hey, how you doing?’ I know it’s not what you asked, but it’s on my heart. I just shared with the team like, it’s a time in this world for us to be kind to people.”

Rhule closed his eloquent monologue with an impassioned plea to reach out and connect with friends and family that might be facing difficult challenges in life, even if they initially brush off those overtures.

Matt Rhule: ‘I would encourage everybody today … to check on’ family, friends in need

“Our generation of kids — my kids — they all just say, ‘Yeah, I’m fine. I’m straight.’ You really gotta unearth it,” Rhule continued, per Just. “I look at road trips and travel and I look at time together at practice as chances to impact young people’s lives and try to be around them. I would encourage everybody today, with your own kids or people you work with, just to check on them. Because that young man (Kneeland) scored a touchdown just a couple days ago. And on the outside, you’d think he’s at the pinnacle. But he’s dealing with something, and I don’t know what it was. But I pray for him — him and his family.

“That’s the weight of coaching young people today. They’re going through a lot — way more than I went through growing up. But yeah, it’s a sad, sad story, a sad fate. I’m praying for him,” Rhule concluded. “But I also know this. There’s probably someone on my team going through something very similar. In what ways can I be there for them? Can we all be there for them? I think that’s the blessing we have of having another week together, so I’m grateful for it.”