(Hat-tip to my anonymous friend, who pointed out the article...)
Robert Klemko wrote an article for Sports Illustrated's Monday Morning Quarterback blog that anyone who wishes to swear their fealty to the National Religion and Neanderthug Football League needs to freaking read.
"Where is Titus Young? Who is Titus Young?"
I'm going to give you the "Cliffs' Notes" version.
It starts in a court room, where, once again, Titus Young, formerly of the Detroit Lions, has failed to answer one of three sets of charges he racked up in May of 2013. This is, in fact, the third time he has no-showed, and has two weeks to do so on his fourth attempt, or he goes back to jail.
The word is that he's undergoing treatment.
The belief is he's too far gone for it to matter anymore.
It appears, once again, that we have another head-hunter who has, quite literally, lost his mind.
It can be traced back to high school play in Los Angeles. A rather disturbing 45-second clip shows what Young's coach was telling people -- he loved to lead with his head. The first hit was definitely a launch-level helmet-under-the-chin job (which we actually seem to be seeing MORE of these days with the fines and penalties!). The second was the classic belt of the receiver over the middle (almost-certainly accompanied by the taunting). The third is Young breaking up a pass... by belting the guy with his helmet.
He once celebrated a touchdown late in a game by front-flipping into the end zone. He was suspended a game for that stupid stunt.
So Young gets to go to Boise State. Yes, that Boise State.
He already appears to be getting a reputation as a partier and probably wanting to be in that thug life that his heroes in the Neanderthug Felon League were already living.
Young was suspended for a significant portion of his sophomore season for missing practices and insubordination. Not surprisingly, this raised questions which dogged him into his draft class.
What WAS surprising is that the suspension appeared to wake him up. He had two rather model years before being drafted by the Lions (with the aid of a rather questionable marketing agent) in the second round in 2011.
He demanded to be the #1 receiver in Detroit. He committed a costly penalty in a loss which got him benched. He gave the Lions one half-decent season.
And then it blew up. A fight, believing he was actually better than "Megatron" Calvin Johnson, increasing insubordination, and then deliberately lining up in the wrong spot against the Packers in a game in 2012. That (and a Twitter tirade the following January) ended his career in Detroit.
People began to notice disturbing changes in Young's demeanor. After being claimed by the Rams, he said he wanted to play defensive back. Nine days later, he left without a presumably-required escort to go to the airport, didn't have identification there, and caused a scene.
By this point, it was clear that something was very very wrong.
The next day, he was released. His conduct had ended his career with the St. Louis Rams... in ten days.
It took three attempts to finally get Young to a neuropsychiatric hospital at UCLA. He was sweating, it was clear he was not himself...
Titus Young was slipping away.
He didn't even realize the Rams had cut him when he spoke with his old high-school coach (unannounced and quite erratic, at that!) about a month later.
Young claimed he had been in treatment in Texas and that they found a "spot" on his brain. His penchant for leading with his head led to brain damage!
When he tried out for a third shot at the NFL, he had the classic "Thousand-Yard Stare". When it was clear that was not going to pan out, the three arrests within a month happened.
--
Titus Young is probably going to die, very soon.
And it's yet another case of a person who is probably going to die (and, reading the comments, sounding like at the pleasure of a lot of the football types out there) at the altar of the National Religion.
There's more. A lot more...
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