Marshawn Kneeland’s cause of death has been revealed.
According to the Concussion & CTE Foundation, Kneeland was diagnosed with stage 1 (of 4) chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) after his brain was donated. He died by suicide at just 24 years old in November 2025.
Dr. Ann McKee, director of the Boston University CTE Center and chief of neuropathology for the VA Boston Healthcare System, released a statement,
“Unfortunately, I was not surprised to find CTE in the brain of Mr. Kneeland. Because we have found this progressive brain disease in nearly half of the athletes we’ve studied who have died before the age of 30,” said McKee. “Thanks to the generosity of our brain donor families, we now better understand the earliest stages of CTE. And it is bringing us closer than ever to diagnosing it during life. My team and I are fully dedicated to finding effective treatments and a cure for CTE.”
Dr. Chris Nowinski, Concussion & CTE Foundation CEO, also shed light on Kneeland’s diagnosis,
“Mr. Kneeland played in the modern era of concussion protocols and better helmets, and yet he still developed CTE,” Nowinski said. “We have no reason to believe the current generation is at a lower risk of CTE than previous generations. Concussion protocols do not prevent CTE, because CTE is caused by repeated head impacts, not just concussions. If we want to reduce CTE risk, we must implement CTE prevention protocols. And aggressively reduce the number and strength of head impacts at every level of the game.”
KNEELAND’S FAMILY WANTS TO RAISE AWARNESS OF CTE
Kneeland’s family also issued a statement regarding the diagnosis.
”While this diagnosis does not change the tragedy of his passing, it provides important context about some of the struggles he may have been facing. We share this information to help people understand what NFL and other high-contact sport athletes might be struggling with. Raising awareness is important to us,” the statement read. “We continue to remember Marshawn with compassion for the person he was, rather than defining him by the final moments of his life. One Love.”