In a bizarre story that’s still developing, the Tennessean is reporting that police are searching for Vince Young after Titans’ head coach Jeff Fisher called them concerned about his quarterback’s emotional well being.
According to Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron, Fisher had been alerted after a friend of Young’s contacted the coach around 7 p.m. Monday night. Young eventually made contact with Fisher, and the two met around midnight with Metro police officials at Baptist Sports Park.
“Given the totality of the situation, Coach Fisher was concerned about Young’s emotional well-being. He contacted the police department and expressed to us his concern,’’ Aaron said.
“Once he came to Baptist Sports Park and was assessed, it appeared the concerns from earlier in the night were unfounded.’’
According to police, Young left his home abruptly Monday night and sped off without his cell phone. A person at Young’s home contacted Fisher, who then contacted police.
After Young eventually made contact with Fisher several hours later, he was told he needed to meet with police.
Young had a handgun in the glove compartment of his vehicle, but it was not loaded and Aaron said officers had no concerns about Young trying to harm himself.
“The fact the gun was in the glove compartment and was unloaded did not present an issue for the officers,’’ Aaron said. “There was no ammunition in the car. The gun was unloaded. The slide was back in a safe position, and it was in the glove box.’’
Several reports have stated that Young (who suffered a sprained knee in the Titans’ 17-10 win over the Jaguars on Sunday) was so distraught after being booed by fans that he asked Fisher to take him out of the game. Fisher has since denied the reports and said the situation was a misunderstanding, but several members of the media that were in the press box at the stadium have said it was clear Young was so distraught that Fisher had to order him back onto the field.
We as fans and the media forget how young these players are and even though they’re making millions of dollars, they still face immense pressure to succeed. No matter how thick an athlete’s skin is, he’s still human and nobody likes to be criticized. Hopefully they find Young soon and nobody gets hurt.
