This video is worth your time. Especially if you have ever dealt with loss and tragedy.
.@Raiders DT Solomon Thomas finds hope in his battle with depression and turns tragedy into inspiration with help from friend and @49ers GM John Lynch. @SollyThomas90 @TDefensiveLine pic.twitter.com/4qavuhex87
— NFL (@NFL) November 26, 2021
“I didn’t want to go back to life because I didn’t really want to be here,” said Thomas in the video. “I was struggling. I didn’t know how to keep living. I just wanted it to all be over.”
Thomas is speaking of his grief after the death of his sister, Ella, who struggled with anxiety and depression and ultimately committed suicide.
All of this happened just after Solomon’s rookie season in the NFL.
“Going back to San Francisco. At that point emotionally I was not well,” Thomas said of returning to the 49ers following the death of his sister. “I could [not] care less if I win or loss, I could [not] care less if I got a sack, If I got a tackle. I was struggling.”
At that point Solomon’s mom reached out to 49ers GM John Lynch who spoke with Thomas and offered to get him some help. Thomas credits that conversation for possibly saving his life.
From that experience, Solomon has made it his mission to try and save lives by removing the stigma surrounding mental health. Both for those who struggle with it every as his sister did, and those such as himself who struggled with her loss.
He started ‘The Defensive Line’ in honor of his sister. The campaign has really taken off and players across the NFL have joined in to spread the message.
He ends his video with “Ella will forever live through me.”