Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Solomon Thomas announced today the establishment of The Defensive Line Foundation.

The Defensive Line Foundation is dedicated to end the epidemic of youth suicide, especially for young people of color, by transforming the way we communicate and connect about mental health. The foundation will focus all its programmatic efforts on suicide reduction by providing health and wellness programs, providing education and support to families through workshops, storytelling of personal experiences of suicide loss and mental health, and partnerships with schools to support robust prevention mechanisms that spot the signs of suicide risk and connect young people to the resources they need.

"The Defensive Line means everything and more to me. Not only to honor my sister, but to create a world where we can normalize the discussion of mental health and save lives," said Solomon Thomas. "I'm more than excited to announce the launch of The Defensive Line Foundation and look forward to the impact TDL will have on changing this world and make it a healthier and better place for everyone - a world where no one dies by suicide."

Solomon Thomas was a 4-star notable student athlete at Coppell High School in Texas. After high school, he flourished at Stanford University where he was named honorable mention All-Pac 12 selection and went on to be named first team All-Pac-12 and won the Morris Trophy in 2016. The San Francisco 49ers drafted Solomon in the 2017 NFL Draft where he played 14 games as a rookie with 12 starts. On March 19, 2021, Thomas signed a one-year contract with the Las Vegas Raiders

The Defensive Line will launch its first pilot workshop on June 15th. For more information, and to stay up to date with The Defensive Line, visit www.thedefensiveline.org. Follow us at @thedefensiveline on Instagram and @TDefensiveLine on Twitter.