This wasn’t intended as a Q&A initially. But once Solomon Thomas—NFL defensive end, third pick in the 2017 NFL draft, Stanford alum, six-year veteran, cornerstone of the emerging Jets defense and mental health advocate—started rolling, no other format would do.
Sports Illustrated: Most mental-health-focused stories seem to fall into two camps. The worst moment of someone’s life—or how they moved forward from it. Your sister, Ella, died by suicide in 2018. But the work at your foundation, The Defensive Line, has never stopped. Is this the kind of mental health story, the moving forward—and moving forward, that should be told more often?
Solomon Thomas: I know, it’s beautiful how even when you’re going through something like this, you can find ways to keep going. That’s what I’ve really learned. It’s not the end or the beginning but the fighting in between [that matters]. It taught me how to live in a different way, take care of myself in a different way, approach things to be my best self and honor my feelings and still find a way to win. It has given me a guide. I’m not a professional in this world, but I’m constantly finding new studies, new research, new ways to take care of myself, whether it’s taking a cold shower in the morning or breathing techniques or certain foods for how they interact with your brain and gut health.
