Before things got really bad for former Detroit Lions wide receiver Titus Young, the NFL made multiple attempts to lend a helping hand, according to a report from Eric Adelson of Yahoo! Sports on Thursday. However, the young wideout spurned all of the league's offers.
Titus Young turned down league’s help multiple times, NFL says
Before all of his legal problems arose, the former Detroit Lions wideout declined support from the league more than once.
Leon Halip
Troy Vincent, director of player engagement for the NFL, said in the report that people close to Young contacted the league last year with worries about him, but Young turned the NFL's help away:
”It was someone very, very close to him who was just concerned - really concerned. Once we got the call, we sent someone out to meet with him.
“We were told he was not interested in support. We went to people very close to his center of influence, to reach out to see how we can support him. The response was of someone who is not open arms to being supported.”
Young was released by the Lions in February after the latest incident -- picking a fight with Detroit safety Louis Delmas during an offseason workout -- in a string of issues was finally the last straw for the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Young is now in an Orange County jail facing charges of attempted burglary, burglary and assaulting police officers, as well as a possible driving under the influence charge, which was the first of Young’s two arrests that occurred within 15 hours of one another. He could be looking at a 10-year prison term.
Unfortunately, as Vincent says in Adelson’s report, the league has done all it can until Young decides to respond:
”We can reach out, which we have done. We look to assist and support - to get him on track. We’ve reached out. We have been reaching out prior to his last incident. We’ve been working hard for quite some time in this situation. Everything is available to him.
“We will be on call to support. That’s all we can do. We are here. We are on call. Our support team is here for you. Unless he engages back, all we can do is sit and be on call.”
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