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Solomon Thomas, a seven-year NFL veteran defensive lineman, is the New York Jets 2023 Hometown Hero. Selected by San Francisco in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Thomas played four seasons with SF and one season with LV before signing with the Jets as an unrestricted free agent in 2022, and re-signing with the team this offseason. Thomas attended Stanford University where he appeared in 27 games over three seasons. As a junior, he was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press and earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors and the Morris Trophy award.
Off the field, Thomas has a heart for helping people find hope when they are struggling with feeling emotionally lost. After the passing of his older sister, Ella, in January 2018, he began dedicating his life to sharing her story and working with nonprofit organizations to raise awareness and secure funds for mental health and suicide prevention work. A long with his family, Thomas founded The Defensive Line Foundation to honor Ella and bring a message of hope and help to other at-risk young people with their stated mission, “To end the epidemic of youth suicide, especially for people of color, by transforming the way we communicate and connect about mental health.” Thomas has been an impactful keynote speaker and panel member at events for American Foundation Suicide Prevention Gala, Mental Health America, San Francisco Suicide Prevention, NFLPA Super Bowl Players Summit, Kick the Stigma, Bring Change 2 Mind, and USC Annenberg Summit. He has also been the recipient of the 2019 AFSP Lifesaver Award with his parents Martha and Chris.
Most recently, Thomas participated in the announcement of the new 988 Suicide Prevention Hotline in a national campaign, served on a panel for Paramount+ Global, and continues to work with the NFL to improve mental health programming in the league. Thomas was the Jets nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year last season.
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