PITTSBURGH -- Former Pittsburgh Steelers star Troy Polamalu will go down as one of the greatest defensive players to ever touch an NFL field. But his kindness off it has always stood out to those around him. And in one instance, he stepped up big for a former teammate when he needed him most.
Speaking with Tracy Girard, former Steelers safety Shamarko Thomas opened up about the struggles he went through after football. And as he was trying to get through the darkest part of his life, he turned to Polamalu to help guide him.
"I went through a lot of depression. A lot of trying to figure out who I was," Thomas said. "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.”
Thomas was drafted in 2013 and as a second-round pick, was viewed as the eventual successor of Polamalu. The Hall of Famer took him under his wing, but Thomas was never able to find his footing in Pittsburgh.
After spending four seasons with the team, Thomas bounced around the league until 2019. As he tried to navigate life outside of football, Polamalu came to his side.
"I was trying to find myself out of my career and I got a message from my mentor and he was like, ‘Take on life just like you took on football,'" Thomas shared in a message he got from Polamalu.
Today, Thomas has found his light outside of the league. He's started Destined IV Greatness, helping train young athletes, and never forgets to remember how his mentor helped save him.
Adding another super-human moment for the Steelers superhero himself, Troy Polamalu.
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