By Payton Woolsey
Vince Young is most famous for taking down the USC Trojans in the greatest college football game to ever be played. He took over the fourth quarter of that game — making the USC Trojans defense look like T-Rex arm’d, chubby cheeked, punk kids.
He rode that momentum to the NFL Draft, where the Tennessee Titans drafted Vince Young, and quite frankly was booed by everybody as the franchise quarterback for years to come.
After making the Pro Bowl, leading the Titans to the playoffs, and winning Rookie of the Year honors; things quickly went helter skelter for Young’s career (and personal life).
A career in the NFL did not pan out — while soon after Vince Young was never heard again. But why?
In the last game of the season against the Washington Redskins, Young got into it with the Tennessee Titans head coach, Jeff Fisher. According to Young, he wanted to go back into the game and Fisher tried to keep him out.
Coach Fisher was then asked at the press conference what exactly happened in their altercation, where he then threw Young under the bus.
Soon after, the media was reporting only Fisher’s side of the story, making Young public enemy numero uno.
This only aggravated Young more. In his own words, he thought that such matters should be kept “In-House.” Instead, Fisher “flamed” Young and made it known he wasn’t a hard worker. Quite odd huh?
Young was tired of fighting this battle with his head coach, then disappeared for several days with no team contact. This is where the alleged suicide attempt takes place.
I say allegedly because there is no real substance to the claim, but those are the rumors that were floating around — finding a gun in the trunk of his vehicle is quite telling. Though the gun was unloaded and there was no ammunition on him, who knows what Young would have done next, without getting help — which he did.
What was very clear was that Young wanted out of Tennessee. Honestly, I don’t blame him.
NFL teams all over were interested in Young, but he never was a “good fit”.
Vince then found himself in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Sadly, he sustained a hamstring injury in training camp — ultimately ending his football career for life.
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Today Vince Young works with high school youth; aspiring to be the next Vince Young.
Looking back on it all, it’s kind of sad. If it wasn’t Fisher’s terrible offensive schemes, things might have been different. Young really could have been something in the NFL.
