Solomon Thomas has been selected as the Week 12 NFLPA Community MVP after stepping up during a particularly difficult period for his teammates and team city.

On November 18, the Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman led a mental health conversation with students from the Dallas Independent School District (ISD), where he shared the importance of utilizing resources to cope with tragedy and having the courage to know it's okay to not be okay. Thomas opened up about his personal struggles with grief and anxiety, growing emotional at times while still processing the recent suicide of Cowboys teammate Marshawn Kneeland and the loss of his sister Ella to suicide in 2018.

Following the intimate talk and a Q&A session, Thomas presented a $10,000 donation to the Dallas ISD Mental Health Services on behalf of the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Foundation and The Defensive Line, which is the nonprofit Thomas co-founded to champion mental health and combat the public health crisis of youth suicide, particularly among people of color.

"It's so important to ask people how they're doing. It's so important to tell people the resources around them," Thomas said. "You never know what battle someone's going through. It's hard. It's tragic. It's such a young life that should be here. This is why mental health is so important."

A week earlier, Thomas led a community outreach at Metrocrest Services food pantry in Carrollton, Texas. He was joined by 10 of his Cowboys teammates, who served alongside Thomas to package meals and necessities for people fighting food insecurity homelessness heading into the holiday season.

In recognition of Thomas being named NFLPA Community MVP for Week 12, the NFL Players Association will donate $10,000 to his nonprofit of choice. Along with the other Community MVPs from this season, he will also be eligible for the Alan Page Community Award, which is the NFLPA’s highest player honor and includes an additional $100,000 donation.