49ers DE Solomon Thomas blasts Skip Bayless for his criticism of Dak Prescott's mental health

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Solomon Thomas called out Skip Bayless on Friday a day after the Fox Sports analyst drew ire for his comments on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who opened up about his mental health.  

"Shame on @RealSkipBayless. Are you kidding me?" Thomas tweeted. "This is why we have a stigma against mental health, suicide, and depression. @dak being vulnerable is showing unbelievable strength and leadership. He’s impacting so many lives. Dak’s a true leader for speaking about his real emotions." 

Prescott opened up about his struggles with depression following the loss of his brother, Jace, to suicide in April, saying: “Before I can lead, I have to make sure my mind is in the right place to do that and lead people to where they want to be. I think that it’s important to be vulnerable."

Speaking on Fox Sports' "Undisputed" on Thursday, Bayless Prescott's ability to be a team leader after going public with his battle with depression. Fox Sports quickly expressed its disagreement following the comments made by the TV personality. 

"You are commanding an entire franchise," Bayless said originally on Fox Sports. "They’re all looking to you to be their CEO, to be in charge of the football team. Because of all that, I don’t have sympathy for him going public with, ‘I got depressed. I suffered depression early in COVID to the point where I couldn’t even go work out.’ Look, he’s the quarterback of America’s Team.”

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Thomas has been an active voice in mental health advocacy among professional athletes. The 25-year-old's older sister Ella died by suicide at the age of 24. In 2019, Solomon was named the 49ers Ed Block Courage Award recipient for his openness on his own emotional battles. 

Former NFL wide receiver Torrey Smith also criticized Bayless, tweeting: People like @RealSkipBayless are the reason why people stay silent when they are struggling. Depression doesn’t care how much money you have, the color of your skin, or if you play for the weak ass Cowboys. It’s a real issue. His comments were ignorant."