This article discusses suicide and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland died at age 24 early in the morning of Nov. 6, according to statements from both the Cowboys and Jonathan Perzley, his agent and friend.

Frisco, Texas Police are investigating Kneeland’s death as a possible suicide. In a statement, the department officials said they responded to a request from the Texas Department of Public Safety to assist in finding a car that evaded state troopers during a pursuit. They later found the car crashed on Dallas Parkway with signs that Kneeland, the driver, fled on foot.

The Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause of Kneeland’s death, the statement continued.

Tonight, the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos face off in ‘Thursday Night Football’ to kick off Week 10. The game will hold a moment of silence for Kneeland after this morning’s news.

Prime Video’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ crew of analysts took turns sharing their feelings about what happened.

Longtime NFL offensive tackle Whitworth brought up his work with veterans and their mental health.

‘This is the kind of conversations all the time about when this uniform comes off, when the helmet comes off of us, and sometimes we think of ourselves as superheroes out there on that field,’ he said. ‘But when we come off of it we’re hurt, we’re stressed just like everybody else. Just hope that for everybody out there that’s experiencing that pain of the today, they remember to reach out to one another.’

‘It’s so heavy,’ former All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman said. ‘When you’re a former player, you recognize it so much more how much you can reach out to guys, how much more you have to reach out and check on guys mentally because we all have those demons. We have those things you’re dealing with but you don’t ever want to be dealing with them alone… You can be vulnerable. You can still be a great player.’

Current and former NFL players as well as teams paid tribute to Kneeland after news of his death. The NFL also released a statement offering condolences to Kneeland’s loved ones and help for the Cowboys.

‘We are deeply saddened by the tragic news of the passing of Cowboys’ Marshawn Kneeland,’ the NFL said. ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with his girlfriend Catalina, family, friends and his teammates. We have been in contact with the Cowboys and have offered support and counseling resources.’

Minnesota Wild forward Tyler Pitlick was kicked out of Thursday’s game after his hit left another Carolina Hurricanes defenseman with an injury.

Pitlick received a match penalty for an illegal check to the head in the first period after he caught Jalen Chatfield with a hit that sent the defenseman’s head snapping back.

Chatfield was down on the ice for a while before being assisted to the dressing room, adding to Carolina’s injury woes on the blue line.

Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal jumped in and fought Pitlick. Staal received 17 penalty minutes, including two for instigating and a misconduct, in his milestone game.

Staal was playing in his 910th game with the Hurricanes, breaking brother Eric’s record for most appearances since the team moved to North Carolina.

The Hurricanes announced that Chatfield would not return because of an upper body injury. That’s bad news for the Hurricanes, who have been banged up on the blue line.

They had activated defenseman K’Andre Miller from the injured list before the 4-3 Carolina win. Shayne Gostisbehere remains out with an injury and Jaccob Slavin has been limited to two games.

‘This is just the way this year has gone,’ coach Rod Brind’Amour said. ‘We just can’t get healthy and then keep losing key pieces. That’s rough. I don’t know how long (Chatfield is) going to be out, but it was a tough hit.’

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

The Las Vegas Raiders gambled on Geno Smith this offseason.

To this point, it hasn’t paid off in a big way. The quarterback has struggled in his first season with the silver-and-black, leading the team to a 2-6 record. After being beaten up all night long in Denver, Smith exited with a leg injury in the fourth quarter.

Kenny Pickett was called on to replace Smith, who was hurt on a seemingly harmless play.

Here’s the latest on Smith.

Geno Smith injury update

Smith visited the blue medical tent and returned to the game after being evaluated.

The quarterback was injured on a scramble at the beginning of the fourth quarter on ‘Thursday Night Football’ against the Broncos.

He was quick to get up, but slowly went back down the turf. He was hit on the knee following a tackle from Nik Bonitto.

Smith did some light jogging on the sidelines after coming out of the tent. He appeared to be working through whatever the ailment is, in an apparent attempt to get back in the game.

Vegas was only trailing by three in what was a struggle on offense for both sides. Smith was sacked five times in the first half and has taken plenty of hits.

Pickett came in to replace Smith.

Raiders QB depth chart

• Geno Smith
• Kenny Pickett
• Cam Miller (practice squad)

Pickett remains the only healthy quarterback on the roster outside of Smith. Vegas is still waiting for the return of Aidan O’Connell, who remains on injured reserve.

The Los Angeles Lakers managed to rally in the second half to produce a 118-116 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

The Lakers overcame a 12-point deficit against Victor Wembanyama and Co. Luka Doncic flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 35 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds. Marcus Smart contributed with 17 points, five assists and five rebounds.

While the Lakers turned things around in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles nearly gave the game away with some mistakes…

Marcus Smart nearly costs Lakers game

The Lakers nearly gave the game away, allowing the Spurs to stay competitive throughout the final seconds.

Marcus Smart began the tense finish when he turned the ball over on an inbound pass with seconds left in regulation. 

Smart decided to move quickly, trying to pass the ball across the court to take advantage of a mismatch, but did not fully have his foot out of bounds.

‘As a 12-year vet, I can’t make that mistake,’ Smart said after the game.

Jake LaRavia commits costly foul late

Jake LaRavia entered the game with 0.4 seconds left on the clock and made a second mistake for the Lakers that could’ve sent the game to overtime.

LaRavia was called for a shooting foul on Julian Champagnie while the Lakers led 118-116. Luckily for the Lakers, Champagnie missed both free throws. Champagnie has shot 85.2% from the free-throw line in his career.

• Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scored his 900th career goal on Nov. 5.
• St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington picked up the milestone puck and tucked it in his pants.
• A linesman spotted the move and made Binnington return the puck.

Washington Capitals players poured onto the ice to mob Alex Ovechkin after he scored his 900th career goal during the second period on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

They weren’t paying attention to where the milestone puck was.

But St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington knew its location. The feisty netminder, who had given up the goal on an Ovechkin backhander, picked up the puck and tucked it inside his pants.

But he didn’t get away with it.

Linesman Michel Cormier had spotted the move. He talked to the goalie in his crease and Binnington reached into his pants and gave the puck to the on-ice official.

Ovechkin laughed when asked by reporters after the game about the incident.

‘Yeah, I just saw it,’ he said. ‘I’m not going to comment.’

Ovechkin’s goal had given the Capitals a 2-0 lead at 2:39 of the second period.

Anthony Beauvillier and John Carlson scored within the next seven minutes, and Binnington was pulled in favor of Joel Hofer.

Binnington, the 4 Nations Face-Off-winning goalie, fell to 3-5-2 with a 3.34 goals-against average and .859 save percentage.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

MIAMI — Soccer star Lionel Messi discussed highlights of his legendary career, shared excitement for the upcoming World Cup and received the key to the city at the America Business Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

Messi was interviewed by Miami major Francis Suarez, while Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas joined the stage to gift his captain with the local honor.

“This is a small token from this city whose hearts you have captured,” Mas told Messi.

“I feel very honored by this… This distinction for me is a great honor,” Messi said as he accepted the key.

Messi often tugged at his microphone, while wearing a charcoal gray suit during the interview at the Miami Heat’s Kaseya Center, where fans in the lower bowl chanted his name between responses.

Messi discussed several topics, including his journey from his hometown of Rosario, Argentina, to his soccer stops at Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami. He also discussed his failures with the Argentine national team before winning the World Cup in 2022.

“Well, it’s difficult to convey the feeling of that moment and find the words to describe what that title meant on a personal level, for my family, my teammates, and my country,” Messi said of Argentina’s third World Cup title won in Qatar. “For me, it was special.”

While Messi has yet to officially declare whether or not he will play in the 2026 World Cup, he has shared excitement about the possibility in previous interviews.

Messi said the 1994 World Cup was a turning point for the sport in the United States, and believes the next World Cup “will be something extraordinary.”

“I think it’s an important moment for soccer in the United States in general, which I hope will be taken advantage of to continue growing,” Messi said regarding next summer’s tournament co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Messi, who last month signed a three-year extension with Inter Miami through 2028, reiterated retirement is far from his mind when asked about his legacy.

“The truth is that it’s not something I’ve thought about or worried about when I retire,’ Messi said. ‘For now, I’m going to continue enjoying myself and continue playing.”

Messi was the final speaker on Day 1 of the conference, which also featured U.S. President Donald Trump as the headliner one year after his election for a second term.  

FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Formula One president/CEO Stefano Domenicali were also speakers with sports ties at the event on Wednesday.

Trump joked he campaigned for a second term so he could be in charge during World Cup 2026.

“I wanted to be president when they have the World Cup and look what happened, Gianni. I’m president and we have the World Cup,” Trump said directed toward Infantino.

Trump said tickets for the World Cup held from June 11-July 19, 2026 – “are selling at record numbers that they’ve never sold before. They’re doing record business.”

Trump reiterated the 250^th anniversary of the United States on July 4, 2026 will feature a UFC fight at the White House, which he said is “going to be a tough ticket.”

Trump also mentioned the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, among his brief mention of sports during his speech.

Infantino walked onto the stage holding a World Cup ball, and played the hits he usually discusses in front of American audiences – explaining the difference between soccer and football to start.

Infantino also joked about his soccer career, with talent unlike Messi.

“I realized if I ever want to touch the World Cup, I had to become FIFA president,” Infantino said.

Infantino also acknowledged his budding relationship with Trump, saying he considers the president a “close friend.”

“He’s very helpful in everything that we do for the World Cup,” Infantino said of Trump. “He’s really engaged. He has such incredible energy. He does what he says, and says what he thinks. That’s why he’s so successful.”

Before receiving the key to the city, Messi was applauded after acknowledging he rarely participates in public speaking events.

“It was much more difficult for me to speak in public, to do this type of event. My thing was always playing, and that’s what I did,” Messi said. “The truth is that today, I felt very good. I had a good time, I enjoyed myself.”

Messi returns to action with Inter Miami in Game 3 of their first-round MLS playoff series against Nashville SC on Saturday, Nov. 8.