Looks like Cincinnati might have a lock in that Tennessee game this Sunday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The mother of Titans quarterback Vince Young said he indicated he doesn’t want to play football and is “hurting inside and out.”
Felicia Young said in Wednesday editions of The Tennessean that her son is tired of all the negativity he’s faced after being booed during a 17-10 win Sunday over Jacksonville. On Monday, Titans coach Jeff Fisher called police to help find him.
“What would you think, if you were tired of being ridiculed and persecuted and talked about and not being treated very well, what would you do? What kind of decision would you make?” Felicia Young said “He may not want to deal with it (all), but you have to get to that point before you make that decision first.
“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.”
The phone number for Young’s home is unlisted, and his agent, Major Adams, did not answer his cell phone Wednesday morning. The Titans did not immediately return a message left by The Associated Press.
This isn’t the first time that Young has talked of wanting to quit football. He told a reporter last spring that he thought of retiring after his rookie season, a statement he said later was taken out of context.
The No. 3 pick overall in the 2006 draft, Young won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and followed up by helping the Titans reach the playoffs last season with a 10-6 record. He has been criticized for his passing struggles, with nine touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 2007.
His mental state has been in question since being booed Sunday after his second interception during the Jacksonville game. He didn’t want to go back into the game until prodded by Fisher.
He sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee four plays later and could be out for up to four weeks. Fisher said Tuesday night he is only ruling Young out for Sunday’s game at Cincinnati.
Young didn’t go to the team’s offices Monday and postponed his MRI exam until Tuesday. He met with a psychologist at his home Monday along with Fisher and another team official.
Four hours of uncertainty followed Monday night when Young left his home without his phone, prompting someone at his home to call Fisher. He called police to help find the quarterback and had a meeting late Monday night with Young and police crisis negotiators at the team’s headquarters.
Young later drove home.
Felicia Young said his son needs some space.
“It is hard, all he is going through right now. He’s hurting inside and out,” she told the newspaper.
“But he will be fine if people are prayerful and help my baby boy out. He is a young man. He just needs a lot of love and support.”