For every success story in the NFL, there are dozens of players falling short of their goals and dealing with the disappointment that comes along with it. To make it to the NFL, players have to sacrifice many other interests and go all-in on football. So what happens when the game is taken away from them and they are left directionless without an identity?<\/p>\n
Former Pittsburgh Steelers S Shamarko Thomas dealt with severe depression and almost succumbed to it after stepping away from football.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went through a lot of depression. A lot of trying to figure out who I was,\u201d Thomas said in an interview with Tracy Girard<\/a> back in April. \u201cAt the end of my career, I was going through a lot of emotions inside and I went to go seek help in Oxnard, Calif. cause I was going through the darkest time of my life. I literally almost attempted suicide. But that\u2019s when I knew I had to ask for help, you know? And thankful I had a mentor named Troy Polamalu that helped me and guided me and took me step by step.\u201d<\/p>\n When Thomas was drafted, he was being billed as the eventual successor to Polamalu. He reached out to Polamalu and expressed a desire to be great, and the Hall of Famer took him under his wing<\/a>. That commitment to mentoring Thomas extended beyond the football field.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to show me by your actions first, by being mature in the way you carry yourself off the field,\u201d Polamalu told Shamarko according to an interview posted on Steelers.com in 2014<\/a>.<\/p>\n The off-field relationship that developed between those two ended up being way more important than anything they could have possibly accomplished on the field. When Thomas was in his darkest hour, Polamalu helped guide him and get him the resources he needed to get back on the right path.<\/p>\n \u201cI was trying to find myself out of my career and I got a message from my mentor and he was like, \u2018Take on life just like you took on football.’\u201d Thomas recalled of something Polamalu told him.<\/p>\n Thomas was drafted in 2013 and only ended up starting two games in the NFL in his rookie season with the Steelers. He was on the Steelers\u2019 roster for four seasons before bouncing around the NFL until 2019 when he ultimately was released by the Buffalo Bills for his last stop in the league.<\/p>\n Now Thomas has used his past experiences as a force of positivity in the world as he founded Destined IV Greatness<\/a> to help train young athletes. Along with training them in physical fitness for their sports, he leans into the mental health aspect of being an athlete. He has also been hired for motivational speaking gigs through his company.<\/p>\n Watch the full interview below to catch up with a former Steeler and his life after football.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n