LOS ANGELES — Sharing the intense personal struggles that kept him away from the UCLA football team in recent months, offensive lineman Thomas Cole revealed Saturday that he attempted suicide this year before getting help for his mental health challenges.
"At first I was regretful that I survived my attempt," Cole wrote on Twitter, "but thankfully due to the people at UCLA hospital, Paradigm residential treatment and my therapist Meg, I have come to a much brighter outlook for my own future."
Cole, a redshirt freshman who did not play last season and was absent from spring practice, said he retired from football because it "is not conducive to my mental health, and there is more to life than the game of football." Thanking fellow offensive linemen Benjamin Roy, Garrett DiGiorgio, Noah Pulealii and Taka Mahe, Cole said his teammates brought him joy and laughter in a time of suffering.
