The Cowboys played Monday night’s game against the Raiders with a heavy heart as the team paid tribute to Marshawn Kneeland during their first game since he took his own life on Nov. 6.
Dallas players wore shirts with Kneeland’s face and name on them and his jersey was hung in his locker stall while the Raiders honored Kneeland with a moment of silence before the game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Kneeland, 24, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, sending shockwaves through the football community and the Cowboys organization.
Dallas held a candlelight vigil at the team’s practice facility last week and the Cowboys returned to practice for the first time on Thursday as they prepared to face the Raiders in their first game since his death.
Ahead of the “Monday Night Football” showdown, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott took time before the game to honor Kneeland, bowing his head in silent reflection while wearing a shirt that had Kneeland’s face on it.
Prescott also wore a wristband that had the words “one love” written on it, which was Kneeland’s favorite quote.
Raiders players wore shirts that had the suicide hotline phone number on them, with the front of the shirt reading “call an audible.”
Kneeland’s No. 94 jersey was hung and displayed on the Cowboys’ sideline as well.
Cowboys players also gathered near the end zone for a prayer before going back to the locker room following pregame warmup, the Dallas Morning News reported.
The outlet reported that 16 players took part in the moment.
The Cowboys fell behind early on Monday after the Raiders opened the scoring with a field goal, but Dallas responded with a field goal of their own to tie the game a 3-3 in the first quarter.
Las Vegas hit another field goal on the following drive and Dallas scored the game’s first touchdown on an 18-yard pass from Prescott to CeeDee Lamb to take a 10-6 lead early in the second quarter. They pushed the advantage to 24-9 at the break.
