By: Tanner Shotwell
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – New York Jets defensive tackle, Solomon Thomas, spoke to University of Arkansas students about the importance of mental health.
Thomas was drafted third overall in the 2017 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Thomas went in depth about the pressures of the NFL, as well as losing his sister in 2018 to suicide.
“I had even more pressure being the third pick in the draft and that was a lot on me and that definitely affected my mental health even before my sister died by suicide. So I was already struggling with that and then Ella dying made things a lot more heavy a lot worse,” Thomas said.
He said that he was reluctant to ask for help but realized the emotional weight of holding everything in. He now wants to spread his knowledge and experience of mental health to the students of the University.
“I want to take what I’ve learned and give it to other men so they can understand like, hey we don’t have to struggle in silence, we don’t have to push down our emotions, we can go to therapy, we can be sensitive, we can cry, we can do all that and still be a man as they say,” Thomas said.
Thomas was invited to campus by the Associated Student Government to share his knowledge with students. ASG member, Gary Jackson started the men’s mental health event last year and hopes men can feel comfortable being vulnerable.
“And I really wanted to be an advocate for all the guys kinda like myself and also that I just saw out there going through stuff, just be an advocate for them and also just get them the resources to know their not alone and this is something you can be vulnerable and open up about,” Jackson said.
According to the CDC, men are 4 times more likely to commit suicide. Men make up only 49% of the population but account for 80% of the suicides in the nation.