Catalina Mancera, the pregnant girlfriend of late NFL star Marshawn Kneeland, shared ultrasound photos of their unborn baby in an emotional social media post.
“My sweet baby, I dreamed of you long before I ever knew you,” Mancera wrote via Instagram on Sunday, December 28. “I dreamed of building a family, of the life your dad and I talked about and imagined together. I’m so excited for you, but my heart still aches. It aches for the moments I won’t get to share with him, and for the love I wish you could experience the way I did.”
She continued, “I don’t think time will ever make this easier, but I know God knew what my heart needed. He blessed me with you when I needed you most. In the middle of all this, you gave me purpose, hope, and something to hold onto. I trust God’s timing, even when it hurts, and I know He’s carrying us both.”
Kneeland, a star for the Dallas Cowboys, died in an apparent suicide on November 6. He was 24 years old.
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“I promise to love you with everything I have for me and for your dad,” Mancera wrote. “I can’t wait to meet you, to hold you, and to watch you grow. I love you already 🤍.”
Mancera revealed she is expecting the baby in June 2026.
Shortly after Kneeland’s death, the Cowboys were the first to announce publicly that Mancera was pregnant while unveiling the Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund, which will financially support Mancera and the couple’s child.
The Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund is “dedicated to preserving Marshawn’s legacy and extending his impact through direct support for his surviving partner and unborn heir,” according to its website.
Mancera broke her silence about Kneeland’s death on November 24, admitting she was struggling adjusting to her “new reality.”
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“I still have a glimpse of hope Marshawn will walk through our front door singing and dancing to the music he was listening to in the car,” Mancera shared via Instagram. “This isn’t my life anymore, I’m now living my worst nightmare. Marshawn was more than just my boyfriend he was my best friend my muse and my reason.”
Mancera and Kneeland had been dating since his time at Western Michigan University. He was drafted by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
“My sweet boy is really gone,” Mancera added, “The things that I would do just to hold you one more time and tell you how much you mean to me. But now I have you to watch over me and wait for me on the other side. I will see you again. Thank you for choosing me and allowing me to love you. I will forever be grateful of the time we did get to spend together. Your laugh will always be imprinted in my mind. I will carry your legacy as long as I’m still here. I don’t know what life has in store for me but you will be apart of my every step. You will never be forgotten.”
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