Despite Concerns of 'Suicide' Talk, Vince Young Says He's 'Not Depressed'The Vince Young saga rolls on as we head into week two of the NFL season. It went from Vince Young apparently refusing to go out on the field in the final moments of a game last weekend, to police frantically searching for him Monday night, to talk of Vince having uttered the word "suicide" while having a gun in his glove compartment. For all the play this story has seen and the concern the Titans have shown, Vince says he's just dandy.
"I'm fine. I'm good,'' Young said. "I just needed (time) … to get through some things. But now I am OK. I was never depressed; I just hurt a little bit. … When it happens again, I'll know how to handle it.''
All of the buzz is around statements made to the Tennessee police by the therapist that talked to Vince on Monday.
“I asked him, ‘What made her worry about him?’ Lt. Andrea Swisher wrote. “He stated, ‘His mood, his emotions, he wants to quit, and he mentioned suicide several times.’ He went on to state that he left the house with a gun
Vince is claiming otherwise. He says everything is fine. Just your typical ups and downs of the NFL. The spin is reminiscent of the $25 million dollar job that Terrell Owens PR flak tried to run past us after Terrell's infamous pill popping episode down in Dallas. Terrell depressed? Please. According to Philadelphia Eagles stud lineman Shawn Andrews, who missed much of this year's training camp due to personal issues related to depression, mental health is much more prevalent than you'd think in the National Football League. The Big Kid, as Andrews is known in Philadelphia, has managed to avoid the national media's wrath, something Vince Young can't seem to do. Shawn says that many players he's faced this year have offered their thoughts and support and Andrews told reporters on Friday that if Vince Young needs someone to talk to, he's there to listen.
"When we faced the Patriots, those guys were really concerned, and when we played the Jets, a couple of guys were inquiring - told me if I wanted to talk or needed to talk [to contact them]," Andrews said. "A lot of guys, you'd be surprised, are going through what I'm going through and don't admit it. I think guys are sensitive to it. If they haven't been through it, they know somebody who has." Andrews doesn't know Young and doesn't know what might have happened to the QB, but he does know, he said, how "you can put that mask on," denying that anything is wrong. He said he would never presume to try to contact Young himself, but that if Young knew of Andrews' situation and ever wanted to talk, Andrews would welcome that.
Who knew the NFL was so full of 275 pound teddy bears? Friday eye opener: Not everyone is buying Vince Young's story [USA Today] Andrews reaches out to Titans QB Young [Philly Inquirer]