UCLA’s Thomas Cole Says He’s Retiring from Football After Attempting Suicide

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UCLA football player Thomas Cole announced on social media Saturday that he is retiring from football after attempting suicide earlier in 2022:

“After many months of thorough consideration I have come to the conclusion that football is not conducive for my mental health, and there is more to my life than the game of football,” Cole wrote.

Cole said he spent time at the UCLA hospital and in residential treatment at the Paradigm Treatment Center while also seeing a therapist, which helped him have a “much brighter outlook” on his future.

The offensive tackle enrolled at UCLA in January 2021, although he did not see action during his first year with the team.

Cole was a 3-star recruit out of San Luis Obispo High School in California, rated the No. 31 overall offensive tackle in the 2021 class by 247Sports composite rankings.

The news comes about a month after fellow UCLA football player Martell Irby retired from football amid mental health struggles.