Marshawn Kneeland’s GF Catalina Mancera unites with his family amid "grieving hard" for Cowboys DE's tragic death

Late Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland’s girlfriend, Catalina Mancera, has been spending time with his family as they all grieve his death.

She was with his sister, Yahmya Kneeland, outside an apartment building in Plano, Texas, and spoke for the first time since the tragedy happened.

“I’m grieving hard right now," Mancera said on Tuesday, via the Daily Mail. "It will be a long time before I’ll feel ready to talk at any length.”

Mancera shared that they are finalizing the funeral arrangements.

"We’re still in the early stages of everything," Mancera said. "We are working on the funeral arrangements. I don’t know where it’s going to be yet.”

Kneeland died on Thursday. Police found his body in a portable restroom near Network Boulevard and Gaylord Parkway in Frisco. It was close to where his car crashed after a high-speed chase.

Kneeland reportedly died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, just minutes away from the Cowboys’ headquarters, The Star.

The chase started three hours earlier when state troopers tried to stop him for a traffic violation in Addison. Instead of pulling over, he sped away and crashed into a pickup truck at Dallas Parkway.

After the crash, police searched the area, worried that Kneeland might be in emotional distress. The situation became more serious when he sent a "goodbye message" to his loved ones.

Mancera reported to the police that he was armed and had a history of mental health struggles. However, the search ended in tragedy.

Kneeland, who grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was in a relationship with Mancera since their college days at Western Michigan University.

Kneeland's cousin, Nicole Kneeland-Woods, told the Daily Mail that the couple shared many milestones together.

“They supported each other through many stages of life,” Kneeland-Woods said. “Catalina is an important part of our family and she’s hurting deeply too.”

Kneeland had a career highlight three days earlier, scoring his first NFL touchdown on "Monday Night Football" on November 3.

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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spoke from the heart about Marshawn Kneeland’s death

Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones admitted that Marshawn Kneeland’s death affected him and the whole team hard.

"I think we all have unfettered feelings about the people we love, people we work with, and this is just a time when you acknowledge that there's no answers," Jones said on Tuesday, via 105.3 The Fan. "It makes you want to live life to the fullest."

Jones also thanked other NFL teams for holding moments of silence during Week 10 games. He highlighted that the gestures showed how kind people could be when things get tough.