The Defensive Line and NFL Total Wellness announce a digital storytelling campaign to strengthen mental health conversations over the course of Suicide Prevention Month in partnership with team clinicians and athletes.
[September 1, 2025, NEW YORK CITY & COPPELL, TEXAS] — The Defensive Line (TDL), a Texas-based nonprofit co-founded by NFL player Solomon Thomas dedicated to mental health awareness and suicide prevention, announces a new campaign in partnership with NFL Total Wellness, a league-wide initiative dedicated to supporting the holistic well-being of current and former players, their families, and the broader NFL community.
The Tell Me About It Campaign aims to strengthen communication around mental health between caregivers and young people by amplifying youth voices and equipping caregivers with tools to navigate difficult topics.
Between September 1st, the beginning of Suicide Prevention Month, and October 10th, World Mental Health Day, The Defensive Line and NFL Total Wellness will release a trauma-informed, clinically backed mental health video series rooted in The Defensive Line’s suicide prevention training model—the D-LINES. The series will feature tips from team clinicians, empowering caregivers with strategies to listen and respond with empathy, as well as testimonials from athletes who will share their own mental health journeys and struggles. Alongside these videos, The Defensive Line will spotlight youth storytelling submissions, emphasizing the power and importance of young people sharing their experiences with mental health.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly half of U.S. adolescents—about 49.5 percent—are living with a mental health disorder, yet only 20 to 50 percent receive the services they need. Suicide rates are disproportionately higher among certain racial and ethnic groups, particularly non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native youth and non-Hispanic Black youth, underscoring persistent disparities that demand urgent attention.*
“Our story is grounded in vulnerability and hope,” says The Defensive Line co-founder, Martha Thomas. “It allows for others to open up with empathy and to hear how each of us can impact and change our views and actions of mental health and suicide prevention. As one participant said, ‘I could be you.’”
If anyone has a need for resources to help themselves or loved ones, there is help available. If anyone is in crisis, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, available 24/7, 365 days a year, or text “HUDDLE” to 741741 to connect with a volunteer crisis counselor. Connect with @thedefensiveline on social platforms for more mental health resources.
Representatives from TDL and NFL Total Wellness are available for interviews.
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About NFL Total Wellness
The mission of NFL Total Wellness is to build systems, create programs, provide resources, and encourage culture change to enhance the overall well-being of the NFL community in the areas of physical, emotional, spiritual, social, intellectual, environmental, occupational, and financial health. We seek to create a culture in which health and well-being is valued, protected, and prioritized, and to ensure our community has timely access to high quality, culturally competent, and evidence-based services and resources.
About The Defensive Line
The Defensive Line seeks to end the public health crisis of youth suicide by centering the lived experience of people of color and transforming the way we communicate and connect about mental health. We address the need for social support in mental wellness through fostering personal vulnerability, redefining peer support, and providing trauma-informed suicide prevention training. Our programs empower educators, coaches, and mentors to recognize warning signs of a young person in crisis and respond with care and confidence. Through adult education, authentic community conversations, and advocating for legislative change, we’re building a world where no young person feels alone in their struggle.
