Thomas is promoting ‘New School Tough’
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Solomon Thomas sees a therapist, has battled depression and has experienced the grief of losing his sister, Ella, to suicide.
Thomas wants everyone to know these deeply personal details about his life, too, because a 6-foot-3, 280-pound lineman understands the impact his voice can have.
“We need to end the stigma and rewrite mental health in America,” Thomas said Tuesday. “Through my journey, I’ve learned we still live in this old school, toxic masculinity way. ... That’s not being tough. That’s not being strong. Suppressing your emotions is not being strong. Being strong is to be vulnerable.”
Nearly three years after his older sister Ella died, Thomas has partnered with “End Stigma. Change Lives,” a campaign to unite athletes and public fig
ures to talk about mental health, end stigmas associated with it and help people who are struggling with anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.
T homa s coined the phra se, “New School Tough,” to describe his personal approach to ending stigmas surrounding mental health discussions and encourage people from all walks of life to share their own experiences.
In recent months, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Atlanta Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst have made conversations about suicide public. Prescott shared his battle with anxiety and depression after his brother, Jace, died by suicide in April, and Hurst has detailed his own suicide attempt in January 2016.
Thomas said “it makes me so happy” to see other athletes step forward to talk about mental health issues and raise awareness. He said he feels more compelled to discuss the impact Ella’s suicide had on
his life and his subsequent battle with depression.
“The reason why I’m here today is because in 2018, I lost my big sister Ella to suicide. Ella was my best friend, my protector, my person, my everything,” Thomas said. “She made you feel so important. If you were in the room with Ella, she made you feel like you were the most important person in the room.”
In a news conference that also featured experts from Rogers Behavioral Health, a non-profit provider of mental health and addiction services, Thomas
explained one of the driving forces behind his desire to continue speaking up about ending stigmas was an article he wrote with ESPN in the months following Ella’s death.
The former No. 3 overall draft pick out of Stanford said he was uncertain how the article would be received, but said the messages of encouragement on Twitter and Instagram helped him realize how many people were dealing with mental health issues and how they felt pressure to avoid burdening others by sharing their experiences.