Steelers Now
A former Pittsburgh Steeler shared that safety Troy Polamalu helped save his life in his transition to life after football.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu always made an impact on the field during his 12-year NFL career. But former Steelers safety Shamarko Thomas revealed Polamalu’s impact off the field has been just as great.
Thomas recently talked about his struggles in life after football and that Polamalu helped save his life.
“I went through a lot of depression. A lot of trying to figure out who I was,” Thomas said in an interview with Tracy Girard. “At 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’s 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.”
Pittsburgh selected Thomas in the fourth round (No. 111 overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft with the hopes he could develop into Polamalu’s eventual replacement.
However, Thomas was never able to reach those expectations as he recorded just 53 tackles, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in four years with the Steelers.
Thomas’ rookie contract expired at the end of the 2016 season and he went on to spend time with the New York Jets (2017), Buffalo Bills (2017), Indianapolis Colts (2018) and Denver Broncos (2018).
When the time came to hang up his cleats for good, Thomas revealed Polamalu’s message to him.
“I was trying to find myself out of my career and I got a message from my mentor,” Thomas said. “He was like, ‘Take on life just like you took on football.'”
Thomas has since founded Destined IV Greatness, helping to train young athletes. And for Polamalu, his Hall of Fame legacy, on and off the field, only continues to grow.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Former Steeler Reveals Troy Polamalu Helped Save His Life
