Las Vegas Raiders Teamed Up with Intermountain Health and The Defensive Line to Host “The Strongest Play – Winning the Mental Game On and Off The Field”
(PRUnderground) September 30th, 2025
September is recognized as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and The Las Vegas Raiders, Intermountain Health, and The Defensive Line share a common goal of prioritizing mental wellness.
Together, The Las Vegas Raiders and Intermountain Health hosted a Children’s Health themed mental wellness field day for adolescent youth titled “The Strongest Play – Winning the Mental Game, On and Off the Field”. The interactive event at the Intermountain Health Performance Center was designed for 250 youth and guardians to engage in fun, educational, and empowering activities that promote mental wellness.
Families were able to participate in football activities, yoga, hands-on wellness stations, mental wellness support booths, journaling resources, and nutrition resources as part of the mental wellness fair. This also included the free distribution of gun safety locks and bike helmets.
The Defensive Line co-founders Chris and Martha Thomas, student athletes, and Intermountain behavioral health experts were part of the panel discussion. They were joined by Raiders Alumnus Carl Nassib, who talked about his own mental wellness journey during the “The Strongest Play Is Asking For Help” panel event last year during the big game in Las Vegas.
The Defensive Line was founded by Solomon Thomas, pro-football defensive lineman and former Las Vegas Raider, along with his parents, Chris and Martha, who have been spreading the message of suicide prevention after Solomon’s sister, Ella, died by suicide in 2018.
Solomon and his parents have dedicated their lives to sharing Ella’s story and working to end the epidemic of youth suicide, especially for young people of color, by transforming how we communicate and connect about mental health.
“Coping with the loss of someone you love is extremely challenging and overwhelming. In 2018, we lost Ella to suicide and we wouldn’t have survived the pain without the support of therapy, family, community, faith, and the ability to share our story,” said Chris Thomas, co-founder of The Defensive Line. “Programs like this allow us to communicate and connect about mental health and share life-saving resources. This goes a long way in helping all of us build a world in which no young person of color dies by suicide. If you ever need support, please reach out by texting 988 or TALK to 741741.”
Solomon and his parents have dedicated their lives to sharing Ella’s story and turning their pain into purpose. Out of their loss, they formed The Defensive Line with this mission: To end the epidemic of youth suicide, especially for young people of color, by transforming how we communicate and connect about mental health.
“It is through purposeful collaborations, such as with The Defensive Line and the Las Vegas Raiders, that we’re able to improve health in our communities,” said Will Rucker, Intermountain’s Community Health Director in Nevada. “Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among adolescents, with youth of color especially impacted. That’s why it’s so important for us to come together – to connect young people with support, resources, and a clear message of hope.”
Suicide is a significant issue, especially in Nevada, as the state ranks 11th in the country for all ages in suicide deaths. Suicide is also the ninth leading cause of death in Nevada and the second leading cause nationwide for kids aged 10 to 24, according to data gathered from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
According to the Center for Disease Control, Black youth suicides are rising twice as fast as other ethnic groups. In addition, American Indians and Alaskan Natives also see increasing suicides at two and half times the national rate.
The Defensive Line provides suicide prevention training in Las Vegas and nationally to educators, coaches, and other leaders of young people. The training focuses on awareness and education efforts by sharing their story and the stories of others’ experiences regarding mental health, mental illness, or surviving or losing someone to suicide.
Intermountain Health has identified suicide prevention as one of its community health priorities in recent years.
Intermountain has worked to educate the community members, including healthcare providers, teachers, first responders, and others, on QPR training (question, persuade, and refer for suicidal risks).
Intermountain has also distributed 67,000 free gun locks to the communities through several states. The gun locks are delivered with suicide prevention information and serve as a key element in putting time between the crisis and the person at risk and limiting access to lethal means.
To learn more about the mental well-being efforts of Intermountain and for resources available, visit intermountainhealthcare.org/behavioralhealth.
You can also view the initiatives that the Raiders have worked through the community at raiders.com/champ.
About Intermountain Health
Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, over 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://news.intermountainhealth.org/.
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Original Press Release.
