Solomon Thomas

Solomon Thomas is a Defensive Lineman for the New York Jets and their 2022 Walter Payton Man of The Year nominee which is one of the league's most prestigious honors. Thomas landed in New York after four seasons with the 49ers who drafted him as the #3 overall player in the 2017 NFL draft and spent the ‘21 season with the Las Vegas Raiders.

During his second season with the Niners, Thomas and his family experienced an unimaginable and tragic loss. On January 23, 2018, his big sister Ella died by suicide. This traumatic and personal loss impacted his next few years in the NFL. In 2021, Thomas with the help of his parents, Co-Founded The Defensive Line (TDL), a nonprofit organization focused on training, educating and equipping leaders of young people of color, to be the mental health community that empowers a lifesaving connection. TDL’s vision is “A world where no young person of color dies by suicide.”

Off the field, Thomas has not only committed financially to the causes he believes in, but he also actively contributes his time, energy, and mind to the growth and success of his organization. His public speaking always centers around sharing Ella’s story and his own mental health journey to bring the hopefulness he carries and the belief he has that everyone has extraordinary value and deserves to live healthy lives. His message is positive and uplifting, and he shares it in public as much as he does privately with those around him. He doesn’t push, but he offers insight and experience, sharing a kind of wisdom that people crave and thrive on.

The work with The Defensive Line has included a partnership with The Super Football Conference in New Jersey to speak with high school students about mental health, the 988 campaign with Dak Prescott and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and an educational panel for all of Paramount Global in October. Thomas has also worked with a myriad of nonprofit organizations to raise awareness, secure funds for mental health/suicide prevention research, and advocate local and national politicians to improve mental health/suicide prevention legislation and polices. He has consistently demonstrated a generous and quiet giving mentality, donating to many organizations over the years, including: The Golden Heart Foundation, Boys and Girls Club of Tracy Kipp Minnesota, Champion Charities Foundation, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Hui Aloha Kiholo, Mississippi Rapid Response Coalition, 22 And You Foundation, My Brother’s Keeper, Blue Dragon, and many others. When a member of the 49ers staff lost everything in the Paradise Fires, Thomas supported them financially.

Thomas expects to come into his own with the New York Jets and every game will be played in memory of his sister Ella.

photo credit: Getty, Dave Kotinsky