It was January 2018 when Solomon Thomas’ life modified ceaselessly.
Thomas had simply accomplished his rookie season with the 49ers, who chosen him No. 3 general within the 2017 draft. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound defensive finish had gotten his ft moist within the league with three sacks, 11 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for losses as a rookie.
On life’s floor, he seemingly had the whole lot happening.
After the season, Thomas was again at his mother and father’ residence in Dallas visiting, and so they had plans to satisfy his sister, Ella, for lunch.
It was a lunch that by no means passed off.
Thomas’ 24-year-old large sister, Ella, a vivid mild in his life and his greatest buddy, took her life the following morning.
“My mother and I spoke to her the evening earlier than,’’ Thomas recalled over the telephone on Tuesday. “We had been planning to all get lunch tomorrow and that lunch by no means occurred. Ella died by suicide early that morning. We had made plans to go get lunch and discuss her work and what was subsequent for her, instructed her that we liked her and went to mattress considering there was going to be a tomorrow.’’
Tomorrow took on a a lot completely different which means for Thomas, the Jets’ defensive finish.
After a time frame to grieve the lack of Ella, Thomas made it his mission in life to lift psychological well being consciousness and put an finish to the stigma round suicide, a taboo topic nobody desires to the touch.
Thomas used his platform as knowledgeable athlete to launch “The Defensive Line Basis,’’ which is devoted to ending the epidemic of youth suicide and make it OK for folks to speak about it. Thomas fashioned the inspiration together with his mother and father and his cousin.
It’s due to this type of fierce dedication off the soccer discipline that Thomas was chosen by the Jets as their nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Yr Award — essentially the most prestigious off-the-field honor within the league.
The award acknowledges an NFL participant for excellent group service actions off the sphere, in addition to excellence on the sphere. Every of the league’s 32 nominees had been introduced Tuesday. The winner can be introduced Tremendous Bowl week.
“Oh man, that is such a blessing and a rewarding feeling,’’ Thomas mentioned of being acknowledged because the Jets nominee. “The honour of being named that by my friends and colleagues means the world. They see the work I put in, they see how a lot I care concerning the group, they see how a lot I need to give again and the way a lot I need to make an impression.
“I imagine it’s the very best honor within the NFL outdoors of any enjoying accolades. I maintain it in excessive regard.’’
Giving again has been part of Thomas’ DNA.
“It’s one thing my mother and father all the time instilled in my sister and I,’’ he mentioned. “Each Christmas rising up in Dallas, we’d all the time get up at 5 a.m. and feed the homeless on the Austin Avenue Shelter. It’s what my mother and father all the time needed us to do.’’
Thomas mentioned his sister’s suicide “elevated immensely’’ his “ardour and drive’’ to need to give again and deal with psychological well being.
“Ever since Ella died, I perceive the massive epidemic we've within the U.S. with psychological well being and suicide, how large an issue we've,’’ he mentioned. “My household tried our hardest in a whole lot of areas, and we actually do imagine we did the whole lot we may for Ella. Studying extra about psychological well being, there are all the time issues the place you assume, ‘Nicely, perhaps I ought to have performed this or that,’ however that’s additionally simply how it's to cope with suicide, as a result of you might have all of the ‘ifs ands and buts.’ ’’
That’s an enormous focus of The Defensive Line — to assist folks with these ifs ands and buts, and to let folks know that “it’s OK to not be OK.’’
Thomas was removed from OK after Ella’s suicide, saying, “My deepest depressions occurred after shedding Ella, for positive, however in my life I’ve struggled with nervousness.’’
He recalled Robert Saleh, his present head coach with the Jets after which his defensive coordinator with the 49ers, reaching out to him as quickly because the information of Ella’s demise grew to become public.
“I used to be depressed and holding all of it in and Coach Saleh reached out after Ella died and instructed me he’s right here for me if I want something, that he’s bought my again,’’ Thomas mentioned.
Thomas additionally credited 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and basic supervisor John Lynch for having a profound impact on serving to him cope.
“Coach Shanahan made beneficiant donations in honor of Ella to AFSP [American Foundation for Suicide Prevention],’’ Thomas mentioned. “John Lynch did the identical factor and he inspired me to hunt the assistance of remedy, which grew to become an enormous a part of my life and actually saving me.’’
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