The loss of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland has left the football community heartbroken, and for one family, the pain hits especially close to home.
Cowboys defensive tackle Solomon Thomas lost his sister, Ella, to suicide in 2018. That tragedy inspired him and his parents to start a nonprofit in her honor, one aimed at saving young lives, especially in communities of color.
“Oh, just so massively sad,” said his mom, Martha Thomas, co-founder of The Defensive Line. “But it’s happening on a regular, daily basis. We look at it one by one, instead of this massive problem that it is.”
Ella Thomas died at age 24
Ella Thomas was just 24 when she died, the same age as Kneeland.
“We didn’t know how common it was,” Martha said. “Every week, 119 young people under 24 die by suicide.”
Out of their pain, the Thomas family built The Defensive Line, founded in 2021 to prevent youth suicide and spark open conversations about mental health.
Filling the gap in support
“There’s a gap between the knowledge and the need to help those in crisis,” said Chris Thomas, Martha’s husband and co-founder of the organization. “Particularly those who are young, and those who are people of color.”
Their message feels especially relevant now, following the loss of Kneeland, who shared a locker room with their son, Solomon.
Mental health toll in the NFL
“If you don’t have a mental health condition going into the NFL, you’ll certainly have one going out,” Martha said. “It’s having a performance review done every week in public, and a million people think they can criticize you on what you’ve done or haven’t done.”
Through workshops, school visits, and talks across the country, The Defensive Line teaches people how to ask the hard questions, and to truly listen. They also promote life-saving resources like the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Turning grief into purpose
For the Thomases, this work is personal — turning their loss into a mission to save lives.
“That’s why we do this,” Martha said. “That’s why we do this work, and we don’t shut up.”
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