Bears receiver Brandon Marshall sympathizes with what former Lions receiver Titus Young is going through right now. And Marshall would like to be able to help.
Young’s career in Detroit was derailed by off-field trouble, and he was arrested three times last week. Marshall was asked about Young in an interview with Trey Wingo on NFL Live, and Marshall said he believes that Young needs help -- the same way Marshall himself needed help when he was a troubled young receiver whose career was in jeopardy because of off-field problems.
“He needs to get the right treatment plan,” Marshall said. “I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder a few years and got the right help, the right treatment, and now I’m advocating for it. Mental health in itself is just so stigmatized, it’s a taboo topic in our homes, in our communities, and we need more people to talk about it and not make Titus Young or people like myself or others who can’t fight for themselves a national punchline.”
Marshall said he tried to reach out to Young but wasn’t able to connect with him, and he hopes Young will seek help from a mental health professional. Marshall still holds out hope that Young will first be able to get his life back on track, then be able to revive his career, and then become an example to others about what mental health treatment can do.
“Guys like Titus Young, it doesn’t necessarily mean he has to be diagnosed, but if we’re not treating these cases properly, it just gets worse,” Marshall said. “I hear people say his career is over. Well, first of all, it’s really not about his career right now. It’s about his life. And second of all, if he gets that in order, we’ll be looking at a success story, and this is a guy who will be in a locker room and guys will be coming to him for advice.”
Marshall is obviously right about Young needing help. And Marshall deserves credit for speaking openly about his own need for help, whether he or anyone else is able to get through to Young or not.