Prior to a string of arrests, former Lions wide receiver Titus Young admitted to one of his old teammates he needed help.
Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch said he was on the same flight from Miami to Detroit as Young recently, and Young opened up about a mental issue he was dealing with, even showing him documents about the condition.
“He’s aware of the situation that he’s dealing with and he showed me a paper and we went over it and I looked over it, and I understand it,” Tulloch told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “A lot of people laugh about it and ke-ke-ke about it, but it’s real. He has head issues, and the Titus Young when he came in as a rookie and the Titus Young now is two different people.
“It’s kind of like when you look at him, he’s looking through you. It’s different. You can tell there’s something going on in his mind, in his head, and I hope that he can get help.”
That something is amiss is obvious. Young remains in jail in California, after he was arraigned on eight counts of burglary and assaulting police officers. He pleaded not guilty to all of them. If convicted, he could face more than seven years in prison.
Tulloch said he sought assistance from the league on Young’s behalf, though a league spokesman declined comment citing player privacy issues.
“He has a problem,” Tulloch said of Young. “Ain’t no question about it. . . .
“We had some long discussions and he showed me some things and I was like, ‘All right.’ The fact that before he didn’t realize it, now he realizes it. He just needs help. Basically he’s reaching out for help. He’s asking questions and he wants to be cured. And it’s tough when people laugh at him and think it’s a joke. ‘Oh, Titus did this.’
“Obviously, he’s dealing with a mental issue that he needs help and people need to reach out and help him.”
That his teammates are reaching out is a good sign, and the hope remains that Young gets the help he so clearly needs.