Titus Young Is A Sad Disaster

Every time you ask how much farther can Titus Young fall?, he answers. Young missed his fourth straight court appearance today, and a bench warrant has been issued for his arrest.

It'd be good to start at the beginning, but which beginning? When the Lions waived the talented receiver the first day they were allowed to make roster moves? When he purposefully lined up in the wrong spot in practice, and was sent home and told to stay away from the team? When he sucker-punched a teammate in practice? When he slipped to the second round of the draft because of a checkered college career that included at least three suspensions?

No, Young's problems are nothing new. But in recent months, they've gone into overdrive. On May 4, he was arrested for shoplifting snacks from a gas station convenience store. The very next day he was arrested twice: first on suspicion of DUI, then later that night for trying to steal his car back from an impound lot. Five days later he was arrested for breaking into someone's home, and trying to fight police when they arrived. (Young spent 27 days in jail. His family declined to bail him out, because he was a danger to himself and others.) While incarcerated, the mother of his child filed for a restraining order against him.

Over the past two months, Young has failed to show up for his scheduled court hearings three times, but his lawyer has been able to get him excused, citing psychiatric treatment that Young was reportedly undergoing. But today was the last straw, and a California judge revoked his bail and issued an arrest warrant.

Nobody really knows what's wrong with Titus Young. His family believes it stems from head trauma, though Robert Klemko's deep dive into the mystery points to a serious mental illness. One for which Young has refused help from both the league and loved ones, and refuses to take medication. Whatever it is, his problems seem bound to get worse before they get better.