The loss of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland has left the football community heartbroken, and for one family, the pain hits especially close to home.

Cowboys defensive tackle Solomon Thomas lost his sister, Ella, to suicide in 2018. That tragedy inspired him and his parents to start a nonprofit in her honor, one aimed at saving young lives, especially in communities of color.

"Oh, just so massively sad," said his mom, Martha Thomas, co-founder of The Defensive Line. "But it's happening on a regular, daily basis. We look at it one by one, instead of this massive problem that it is."

Ella Thomas died at age 24

Ella Thomas was just 24 when she died, the same age as Kneeland.

"We didn't know how common it was," Martha said. "Every week, 119 young people under 24 die by suici

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