I never supported taking VY, and I'm glad MW is turning out to be such a good selection... ...but I seriously don't like using this story to pile on. It may make the Texans' pick that much more fortunate, but this isn't "I told you so!" material. This is just sad.
"But we're not talking about football right now. We're talking about what would make him happy, and that is the most important thing.'' This quote from mom is so far from reality it's funny. He has a professional contract to play football. A lot of people who make a lot less money are unhappy with their job, but have no choice but to go to work to pay the bills. The reality is in most occupations you can't just quit because you're unhappy, unless you find another job. If he does indeed have a diagnosed depression that he can't help then that's a different story. But it seems to me like he isn't grown up and can't handle the duties and responsibilities of being an NFL player, which include being booed if you perform poorly. I've heard a lot of stories of guys who came to the NFL and took it for granted, thinking talent alone would carry them. You really have to work physically and mentally to make it in this league.
How is that far from reality? If you're concerned about someone's mental health, being happy is the most important thing no matter how much you make. You're right in that a lot of people are unhappy with their job but there is no doubt that he is probably under more pressure than any of us have to handle. Ya he makes a crapload but I don't think that should necessarily keep you from doing something that you don't enjoy. I think we tend to look at athletes and think that just because they're making a ton of money that everything else takes a backseat to that.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5992935.html Commentary: UT version of Young disappears in Nashville Vince's problems could include more than just knee injury By RICHARD JUSTICE Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Sept. 10, 2008, 7:25AM Is Vince Young a spoiled brat? Vince Young is either a spoiled brat, a troubled young man or some combination of the two. That’s the problem with screaming at him to grow up and deal with things virtually every other NFL quarterback has to deal with. There could be something more serious going on. Those of us on the outside simply don’t know what’s going on inside his head. But what we do know — or what we think we know — is troubling. The Tennessean is reporting that Young “spent time with a psychologist” before disappearing for more than four hours Monday evening. The psychologist told the Titans that Young was extremely depressed and there was reason to be concerned about him, the newspaper reported. “Given the totality of the situation, coach (Jeff) Fisher was concerned about Young’s emotional well-being,” a Nashville police spokesman said. Forget the spin the Titans and Young’s inner-circle are putting on Monday’s events. It stretches the imagination to see it all as a case of Young forgetting his cell phone and hanging out at a friend’s house watching football. What the Titans have said is that Young apparently left his home abruptly Monday evening. We may never know the full story there. But someone from his home telephoned Fisher with information that alarmed Fisher enough to call police. Clearly someone thought Young was capable of harming himself. Once Young was found, he met with Fisher and convinced his coach everything was fine. But for a few minutes Monday, everything clearly wasn’t fine. Young’s agent, Major Adams, called it a misunderstanding. That’s also what the Titans said about Young’s behavior during Sunday’s game. He was booed after throwing his second interception. When he got to the sideline, he threw his helmet to the ground and blew off teammates who attempted to console him. He sat on the bench and buried his face in his hands. When the Titans got the ball back, Young refused to take the field. Fisher said Young was worried about a sore leg. He lasted four plays before suffering a knee injury that will sideline him for awhile. He seems to need this time off to gather himself, to figure out where he’s at both in his life and his career. Those of us that knew him at the University of Texas are having trouble believing this is the same guy that was so tough, so mature and so fiercely competitive. He wasn’t simply the best college football player on earth those last two years at Texas. He was the guy that made everything go. Teammates and coaches alike looked to him to lead. He led the Longhorns in the locker room and on the field. I thought the Texans were fools for not drafting him because I couldn’t comprehend him failing. Now it’s getting harder and harder to believe in him. In three seasons, he has missed a team flight, sulked when things have gone badly and gotten steadily worse as a player. That’s not the Vince Young that Longhorn Nation loved. That Vince Young didn’t pout when people doubted him. He fed off it, used it to drive himself to do more and more. I saw him misbehave just once. That was the night he lost the Heisman Trophy to Reggie Bush. He was less than gracious in his concession speech, and when he was done, an Austin columnist whispered, “USC is in trouble.” Young used the Heisman snub to drive him. The Titans might not recognize that Vince Young because it doesn’t resemble the sulky, withdrawn young man they now have. One thought in Nashville is that Young has surrounded himself with people that tell him only what he wants to hear. They blame the media for almost everything, including the fans that boo. Young has never failed the way he’s failing now. At anything. When he played poorly at Texas, he still had Mack Brown’s cocoon to protect him. He also knew he was always going to be the best athlete on the field, and that he was usually going to have enough raw skills to do whatever he wanted to do. Now he’s playing against opponents as big and fast as he is and defensive coordinators drawing up schemes far more complex than anything he dealt with in college. Maybe Young is having a hard time adjusting to a world in which hours of study are required and fans are unforgiving. They don’t want to hear that he’s beginning his third year. They see those throws sail over a receiver’s head and want something else. Nor do they care what he did at the University of Texas. He’ll always be a legend in Austin, but at the moment, he’s a $50-million NFL flop. Here’s hoping it’s nothing more than that.
Wow!!! I kept hearing how Vince Young was going to transform the NFL! I was on board, but you've got to be fricken "Flash" from the comic books to do it with your speed. I yelled and was ecstatic when he led his Texas longhorns to the National title!!! I was too caught up with not wanting to admit the David Carr mistake, that Vince Young wasn't even an after thought in my mind. I was still of the opinion that a good quarterback's coach could fix Carr. That's my excuse for never wanting Vince Young. But, the Texans keep looking better and better with their decision. Wow, a 2nd #1 draft pick flop would have been disastorous. Carr messing up was one thing, but having Bush or Young on this team with their current production would have been too much to handle. You can't flop with #1 picks!! Especially in the NFL.
How is it far from reality? You point out what most people have to do - but the reality is that he's not most people. He's made probably $20+MM at this point, and if he invested it properly, he should be set for life. So he doesn't necessarily have to work to pay the bills, and he could quit if he's unhappy. So for him, the reality is that finding what makes him happy is probably the most important thing - especially from his mom's perspective.
Dude's mom is taking up for him getting his feelings hurt, that quit being acceptable for a guy around the age of 10....
I would have taken Vince # 1 but in hindsight I admit the Texans made the right decision for their team.
Looking back, the comparisons to Jesus may have been a little off. I don't think vince would last a day in the desert, let alone 40.
wow. this just keeps getting better and better. I forone never wanted vy, but i'll admiti wanted bush just becase of the hype by bspn and I had no idea who mario was but when they made the pick I had bo problem with mario. they know more than us fans. btw im on my gf's phone and don't know how to capitalize etc lol.
He's probably just struggling to deal with the reality that he's just not a very good football player. Well, at least by the NFL's standards and the expectations that come with playing QB.
So you're advocating that athletes should get their payday, and if they're not happy playing anymore they should quit? Imagine if Yao suddenly decided he didn't want to play basketball anymore, how we'd all think of him. At the very least Vince should honor his contract, especially after the Titans have invested millions in him. Also, I know everything gets taken out of context through print, but my perception on this is that the NFL has gotten too hard for him, not really that he doesn't like playing football anymore. One thing that was obvious for Vince coming into the NFL is that he wasn't the brightest individual (ie wonderlic score)...and being a QB in the NFL requires a solid mind and a good work ethic. I'm just getting the feeling that he thought talent was going to carry him, and now it's all catching up with him how hard it is to play quarterback. I don't think he's clinically depressed, I think he's just realizing that he can't just coast along in the NFL and that's what's making him unhappy. (And obviously his mom is worried about her child's well-being, just like anyone's mother would. For all we know this could be his mom overreacting and Vince is just a little down about his performance)
