Solomon Thomas‘ journey goes beyond football.
The former No. 3 pick in the NFL draft and newest member of the Dallas Cowboys, Thomas’s early journey was defined by football, potential, and expectations. But that soon evolved into something much deeper. After enduring an unimaginable personal tragedy, his journey became one of struggle, strength, and personal growth—both on and off the field. Today, it’s a journey driven by purpose, one that reaches far beyond anything he could accomplish on a football field.
Solomon Thomas’ Journey Is About More Than Just Football
A Dream Redefined By Tragedy
In 2017, Thomas was selected with the third overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers after enjoying two standout years at Stanford. His professional journey was just beginning, with immense promise and high expectations.
However, life has a cruel way of bringing people to their knees.
Thomas’ rookie season didn’t quite deliver on the hype. He recorded just three sacks in 12 starts, and the 49ers limped to a 6-10 finish. It wasn’t a disaster—he was a promising run-defender even if the sack production wasn’t there—but it didn’t measure up to the lofty expectations of the No. 3 pick in the draft, either. But football would soon take a backseat to something far heavier.
That offseason, Thomas would receive a phone call that would alter his life forever. It was from his father, Chris.
After a years-long battle with depression, his sister, Ella, had committed suicide.
Ella. His big sister. His best friend. Gone, just like that.
Losing Ella And The Weight That Followed
She had been transparent with her struggles. She had opened up to Thomas and her parents back in 2015 about her battle with depression. They knew she was hurting, but nobody understood how all-consuming it had become. The news of her passing was a shock, especially since she was known for such an infectious and outgoing personality.
“She filled a room with such a strong presence that it would light up the room,” Thomas was quoted as saying in an article from The Athletic shortly after his sister’s passing. “She made life go.”
For Thomas, his life would also go on, but it would never be the same again.
Football continued to be his career, but it no longer held the same meaning as it did before. His dream of becoming an NFL star didn’t vanish, but it no longer stood as the singular pursuit. It had been redefined and reshaped by unimaginable loss.
Sep 15, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans Will Levis (8) escapes the sack of New York Jets defensive end Solomon Thomas (94) during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Solomon Thomas’ Own Battle With Darkness
In a 2021 long-form piece for Go Long, written by Tyler Dunne, Thomas opened up about the internal struggles that followed Ella’s death. His descent into depression and his own thoughts of suicide.
Thomas was living with overwhelming guilt. To describe him and Ella as best friends doesn’t do it justice. They were two halves of the same coin, two peas in a pod. They were each other’s “safe haven,” and they talked about everything.
Despite a series of trial-and-error treatments—rotating medications, fluctuating doses, and ongoing adjustments—nothing worked. She would be okay for a couple of weeks, and then the anxiety would return with a vengeance. The one constant was her brother. No matter what, he was always there. He was her lifeline.
Thomas thought she was in a good place. He had helped her land an internship in Dallas, and on the night before her passing, she had called to ask if they could have lunch the following day.
The next morning, she was gone.
A Battle No One Could See
In the wake of Ella’s death, Thomas found himself in a battle with the same demons his sister had fought. He had never suffered from depression before, but now, there was nothing but overwhelming sadness, guilt, and shame.
By Week 6 of his sophomore season, Thomas was at the precipice, ready to cross the threshold—to join his sister on the other side. Day after day, he felt completely empty. There was no more joy, no purpose. A rudderless ship adrift in the ocean.
“I went down a very dark path,” he penned to his sister in a piece for The Players’ Tribune in 2021. “Sure, I was working my a** off in football… But on the inside, I was empty and dead. Each day was a war inside my brain.”
He tried to maintain the façade of the stoic athlete, but internally, he was completely unraveling. The emotional pain was taking its toll, and the suicidal thoughts began to creep in. “Living became harder than dying,” he said. “It was just all black, all day.”
In the same Players’ Tribune piece, he added: “The only thing that kept me here at that point was not wanting to put any more pain on Mom and Dad.”
Turning Tragedy Into Purpose
“Solly, if you need help, we are here to support you and help you.” Those words didn’t come from a coach, a teammate, or a family member. It came from John Lynch, the 49ers’ general manager, who noticed that something was wrong.
Lynch was more than just Thomas’s boss. The two had been classmates at Stanford when Lynch returned to school to finish his degree after his NFL career ended. They even worked on a project together during that time and kept in touch afterward, with Thomas often calling Lynch for advice.
Lynch’s simple gesture was everything. He didn’t know just how dark a place Thomas was in, but those words were exactly what he needed to hear.
“That was one of the darkest moments in my grieving process,” Thomas told Dunne. “That really changed my life… It saved my life.”
He started therapy. He worked on his grief, despair, depression, and anxiety. Learned how to cope and heal. “I learned how to live again,” he said.
As Thomas continued to emerge from the darkness, he realized he wasn’t alone, and that was a problem. Too many people, like his sister, suffer in silence. Too many people feel shame and embarrassment for struggling with mental health, for simply seeking help. This wasn’t acceptable.
The Defensive Line: A Mission Born From Loss
So, in 2021, Thomas co-founded The Defensive Line with his parents, Martha and Chris, a nonprofit dedicated to suicide prevention and mental health advocacy. Their mission? “To end the epidemic of youth suicide, especially for young people of color, by transforming the way we communicate and connect about mental health.”
The focus is on teaching mentors how to create a safe mental health environment, to identify those who are struggling, to be able to ask the right questions, and provide the resources so that someone can get professional help.
Thomas has been instrumental in pushing mental health to the forefront of NFL consciousness. There is more awareness on players who are enduring mental health struggles than ever before, but Thomas admits, there’s still a lot of work to do.
“We still have a long way to go,” Thomas told Gavin Willacy of No Helmets Required in his column for The Guardian during World Mental Health Week in 2024. “Teaching guys how to take care of themselves in a high-pressure environment, in an environment that just leaves you once you’re done with the game…to check up on your mental health…All these things need to be worked on.”
Ella’s legacy has become his mission.
What started as a personal fight to survive morphed into a public commitment to help others do the same. Others who don’t have the same resources that Thomas had when he was struggling the most.
Football now has a new kind of purpose—not as an escape from pain, but as a platform to speak openly, break the stigma, and honor his sister’s life in the most powerful way he can: saving others.
Solomon Thomas is on a new journey. And through it, he’s redefining what strength in the NFL truly looks like.
Main Image: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images