Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month Hits Close to Home After Tragedy

November is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month — a time when we shine a light on mental-health issues that often get ignored, especially in Black communities. But this year, the reminder hurts. Because this week the Dallas Cowboys organization and the NFL felt the loss of 24-year-old defensive end Marshawn Kneeland.


Kneeland, a second-round pick in 2024, was found dead this week in an apparent suicide after authorities say he fled a traffic stop, crashed his vehicle, and posted a final goodbye text to friends and family.

RELATED: Dallas Cowboys Defensive End Marshawn Kneeland Dies At 24

When the Spotlight Isn’t Enough



He scored his first NFL touchdown just days earlier. He was a rising star. On the outside you see the game, the uniform, the lights. But behind that, there was a young man navigating grief, pressure, trauma, and likely the same battles many Black men fight in silence.


In Black culture we often hear: “Be strong. Don’t complain. Buck up.” But what happens when that “buck up” covers what’s underneath? This month is about saying: you’re allowed to not be okay.



What His Loss Says to Us


Mental health isn’t just about depression or anxiety — it’s about context: identity, expectation, race, culture, and stigma.
The platform, the fame, the second-round draft pick — they don’t shield you. They don’t cure the struggle.
November is about reflection and outreach: men checking in with men, communities opening up instead of shutting down.



What We Can Do


If you’re a Black man feeling pressure, trauma, or just “off,” take a moment: talk to someone you trust.
Use resources: the U.S. Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is 988 (in the U.S.).
Organizations and teams can do more than issue statements — culture change means real support, early intervention, mental-health parity.

Final Word


Marshawn Kneeland’s passing wasn’t just a loss for the Cowboys. It was a wake-up call for us. For values. For care. For compassion.


This Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, we remember Marshawn — not just as an athlete, but as a young Black man navigating a world that told him “be unstoppable” while forgetting to say “you’re human.”


If you’re watching this and feeling unseen: you matter. Your story matters. Let’s talk. Let’s live.

Written by JuugMasterJay

Catch me inside The Red Room, Saturdays 7 PM on 97.9 The Beat.

IG: @JuugMasterJay