IN THE SUN: NEW RAIDER SAYS HIS ‘CAREER IS JUST NOW STARTING’
Solomon Thomas worked his entire life to get to the NFL and thought everything would go smoothly once he reached his goal and got taken third overall in the 2017 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.
It hasn’t turned out that way. The 25-year-old defensive tackle out of Stanford expected to find the NFL more physically challenging than he could imagine, but the last two seasons he’s played in full have also been the most emotionally and mentally taxing.
Before the 2018 season, Thomas’ sister and closest confidant, Ella Thomas, took her own life. She was 24 years old.
Solomon tells everyone Ella is the reason he’s played football since he was a child, and in the first season after her death specifically, he found it difficult to carry on while battling grief and depression.
“I knew I needed help but I kept brushing it off and emotions kept piling up and I kept pushing everything down and suppressing my emotions,” Thomas said. “I started blowing up a little bit and getting into a dark place.”
He eventually decided to begin seeing a therapist and confronting his feelings, which led to feeling better than ever going into his fourth professional season with the 49ers last year. Then he suffered the first major injury of his football career, a torn ACL in the second game, to sideline him for the rest of the season.
It could have sent him into another mental-health tailspin, but Thomas leaned on his newfound coping mechanisms — starting his day with positive affirmations in his head, journaling and meditating. He’s since made a near-full recovery and signed a 1-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders where he’ll look to
revitalize his career in the upcoming season.
“I’ve learned so much in the last six months — believing in myself, loving myself, working, grinding, being hungry and loving the game again,” Thomas said. “Not that I lost love in the game but I’ve fallen in love again like I’m a fourth-grader. I’m ready to go show the world how great I can be, but more importantly, I’m ready to show my teammates how great I can be.”
The Raiders focused on fixing their defensive line in free agency last month in their attempt to break a 19-year drought without a playoff victory. Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, one of the NFL’S best edge rushers over the past five seasons, was the splashiest signing but the hope is that fellow newcomers Thomas and Quinton Jefferson can help build a formidable rotation up front.
Thomas met Ngakoue during his only trip to Las Vegas so far, when the two signed their contracts, and said he was motivated by his new teammate’s passion and ready to follow his lead. Ngakoue spoke just as highly about Thomas and the rest of the defensive line — which includes returners Clelin Ferrell, Maxx Crosby, Maurice Hurst and Johnathan Hankins — during his introductory news conference.
“We can just gel together and put the knowledge that we have as far as playing the run and the pass rush and turn this thing around, make it real special and get over that hump,” Ngakoue said.
Raiders general manager Mike Mayock has repeatedly stressed the importance of character in his free agency moves with hope that his signings will represent the organization appropriately and take an active role in the community. Thomas is a clear fit with those objectives.
Since his sister’s death, he’s become actively involved with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and is working on launching his own foundation with his family, the Defensive Line, in her memory. The pandemic has stalled some plans, but Thomas sees Las Vegas as a perfect place to further his objective of talking in schools, educating children and grooming mentors for mental-health issues.
“I really want to erase the stigma against mental health and teach people how we’re all human and going through something and it’s human to feel sad, angry, depressed and anxiety,” he said. “When I let down my guard and let people know what I’m feeling or what I’ve been through, it lets someone else open up. I might be this big football player, but I can feel sad. I can cry. I can go through emotions and so can they.”
Thomas describes it as sometimes exhausting but usually therapeutic to talk about his struggles. That extends to football where Thomas understands the perception that his professional career has fallen short of expectations.
After racking up 11.5 sacks in his two years at Stanford and leading the Cardinal to Pac-12 and Rose Bowl titles as a freshman, he was considered a near can’t-miss NFL prospect. But in four years with the 49ers, he registered only six sacks and lost his starting spot.
“The last four years didn’t go how I wanted them to but I’ve learned, grown and matured into a complete player,” Thomas said. “I truly believe my career is just now starting.”
He speaks with extra confidence after spending two recent weeks with former Stanford teammate and All-pro Carolina Panthers running back Christian Mccaffrey. Thomas visited Mccaffrey for one week in Charlotte, and then another in Denver as he worked his surgically repaired left knee back to full strength.
He raved about the results of the sessions, which saw him squatting 600 pounds, sprinting at full speed and cutting in drills without any pain.
“I don’t know anyone in the league or all professional sports who dedicates his life more to the game,” Thomas said of Mccaffrey. “I learn so much for him, so that’s why I went up there. Not just because he’s my best friend but because he does really good training. It’s gotten me to the point where I’m honestly feeling back to normal now.”
Thomas hit it off with Mccaffrey after the two met as high school All Americans ahead of their time at Stanford together. Mccaffrey helped ultimately convince Thomas to commit to the Cardinal at the last minute and the two emerged as immediate leaders in the program.
Thomas is hoping to build that type of bond with his new Raiders’ teammates, especially along the defensive line, starting when he moves to Las Vegas in the next few weeks. He’s worked out with Ferrell in the past and briefly met Crosby while visiting the team’s headquarters for his signing.
Thomas places the utmost importance on his relationships, something Ella taught him. It’s one of many ways her influence comes through and continues to push him to go forward.
“I carry a part of Ella with me in every way, I truly believe that,” Thomas said. “I feel like I am Ella sometimes. She was just such a feisty firecracker and she always put that chip on my shoulder. She was always challenging me. She was my biggest supporter but she also motivated me in every way and put that anger in me. When I play angry, I feel like I play my best so I love to carry her with me that way. I know she’s up there watching and I can’t wait to go ball out for her.”