Green Bay Packers Star Reportedly Plans To Adopt Marshawn Kneeland’s Child After Learning His Girlfriend Is Pregnant

The story of Marshawn Kneeland, the 24 year old defensive end of the Dallas Cowboys, has shaken the entire NFL because of how tragic and heartbreaking it is. He passed away at the age of 24 after just scoring the first touchdown of his career, leaving behind his girlfriend, Catalina Mancera, and their unborn first child.

While the Cowboys, fans and the whole league are still mourning, one deeply human act from the Green Bay Packers has moved the American football community even more.

The Cowboys’ fund is not enough to ease the pain

Earlier, at a press conference at the Ford Center, Brian Schottenheimer shared that the Cowboys had created a fund to ensure Kneeland’s girlfriend and their unborn child would be taken care of for life. He said:

“We want to make sure she is taken care of, and the baby is taken care of for the rest of their lives. It is very important to the players and to us.”

The Cowboys held a candlelight vigil, players hugged each other, cried, laughed and shared memories about Kneeland. Everyone understood that behind the bright smile on the field was a soul that had taken too much damage.

But for some people, just giving money did not feel like enough.

Heartbreaking: Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer revealed today that Marshawn Kneeland’s girlfriend, Catalina, is pregnant and the team has started a Fund to ensure that both she and the baby are taken care of.

Praying for her and their family 💔🙏 pic.twitter.com/morzYpXdW8

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 12, 2025

When the NFL learned Catalina was pregnant, the tragedy deepened

The news that Catalina was pregnant with their first child made the tragedy even more painful. She wrote on social media a goodbye message filled with grief, calling him “my beautiful angel.”

The baby never got the chance to see its father, and the world had only just started to see Kneeland’s potential on the field.

As news of the pregnancy spread, many fans, former players and NFL analysts called on the league and teams to do more for his family, not just offer condolences.

BEAUTIFUL: Brian Schottenheimer says they have started a fund to make sure Marshawn Kneeland’s GF and child are taken care of for the rest of their lives🙏

“We want to make sure she’s taken care of and the baby is taken care of for the rest of their lives”pic.twitter.com/Jhhp4vsVam https://t.co/wG4Xj0dKye

— MLFootball (@MLFootball) November 12, 2025

A Packers star quietly reaches out and asks to “be a father”

Among those haunted by this story was a defensive star from the Green Bay Packers, someone who had faced Kneeland on the field and even trained with him during NFL camps.

According to sources close to the situation, after learning that Catalina was pregnant, he reached out through his representatives and said he wanted to do something more than a symbolic gesture. He said directly that he wanted to adopt the baby once it is born and raise the child as his own.

In the middle of a long interview about how Marshawn’s death impacted the entire league, the name that came up was Micah Parsons, the pass rushing superstar now playing for the Green Bay Packers. Sources say Micah offered that, if the family and Catalina agreed, he would be listed as a legal guardian while fully respecting Kneeland’s last name so the child would always carry the honor of their biological father.

One line, reportedly shared inside the locker room and believed to come from Micah, has been spreading quietly:
“We cannot save Marshawn anymore, but we can save the future of the child he left behind.”

Not a PR stunt, but a responsibility as “an older brother in the game”

What has truly moved fans is that this offer was not blasted all over cameras or turned into a PR campaign. It started as private calls, private messages, between players, agents and the family.

Micah is said to have told people close to him that he has seen too many teammates fall under the weight of pressure, injuries and depression. He does not want the child to grow up only hearing “your dad used to play for the Cowboys” through old YouTube clips, but to have a father figure who is there every day, taking them to school, teaching them how to throw a football, teaching them how to get back up after a fall.

According to a team source, he said:
“If that baby has Marshawn’s blood, I want the kid to know they are not alone. If I can give them a home, meals, love and an example to follow, that is the least I can do.”

Combined with the Cowboys’ fund, the child’s future could be protected for life

If the plan is approved by the family, the baby would receive two layers of protection:

• Financial and community support from the memorial fund created by the Cowboys

For many, this is no longer just a sports story. It is a story about humanity in a world where money and spotlight often overshadow everything else.

A player is gone at the peak of his career, leaving a hole on the field and in his teammates’ hearts. But if his child grows up surrounded by love, protection and the message that “your father fought with everything he had,” then Marshawn Kneeland’s legacy will never disappear.