About a week before he was arrested for the first time, Titus Young happened to be on the same flight from Miami to Detroit as Lions linebacker and former teammate Stephen Tulloch.
Tulloch, who was honored as the Lions’ unsung hero at the Gridiron Greats of Michigan Hall of Fame induction ceremony Friday, said the free-agent wide receiver took their chance encounter as an opportunity to open up about the mental issues he has been dealing with.
At one point, Tulloch said Young even shared a paper explaining his disorder, a condition Tulloch didn’t want to reveal Friday.
“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 said. “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.”
Three days after he was arraigned on eight counts of burglary and assaulting police officers from two separate incidents and pleaded not guilty to all charges, Young remains in an Orange County, Calif., jail on $25,000 bond.
He faces up to 7½ years in prison on those charges, and prosecutors in Riverside County, Calif., are weighing whether to charge him in two other crimes.
He was arrested on suspicion of DUI by Moreno Valley Police at 12:01 a.m. May 5, hours after he was accused of stealing a bottle of water, candy and cigars from an Orange County Chevron station. Less than 15 hours later, Young was arrested a second time for trying to steal his impounded vehicle out of a tow lot.
John Hall, a spokesman for the Riverside County district attorney’s office, said by e-mail Friday that there’s no timetable on charging Young in those crimes because he’s not in custody in the county.
Young also is accused of breaking into a San Clemente, Calif., home through an upstairs window May 10 and leading police on a brief foot chase.
Tulloch said he recently reached out to the NFL and James Thrash, one of the league’s player engagement liaisons, to ask the league to help Young.
Young’s father, Richard, said earlier this that he believes the NFL helped Young get some of the outpatient treatment he has received for his problems.
An NFL spokesperson declined comment earlier this week citing player privacy issues.
“He has a problem,” Tulloch said. “Ain’t no question about it.”
Young’s father and attorney did not return phone calls seeking comment Friday, but Tulloch said he sees Young’s recent legal trouble as a cry for help.
“We had some long discussions and he showed me some things and I was like, ‘All right,’ “ Tulloch said. “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.”
Lions running back Reggie Bush, who did not play with Young, said on NFL AM on Friday morning that Young’s issues have been a topic of conversation in the locker room.
Backup quarterback Shaun Hill told the Free Press at the Gridiron Greats ceremony Friday night that he still hopes Young can turn his life around.
“I think we’ve seen throughout the previous years that NFL athletes or professional athletes in general have the same issues that everybody else in America has, and we’re not exempt from those type of issues,” Hill said.
“Everybody hopes that he can get it figured out and get it turned around.
“Certainly, a lot of things have led to where he’s at now and just hope that he can get the help that he needs.”
Birkett writes for The Detroit Free Press, a Gannett property.
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