Titus Demetrius Young, Sr. (born August 21, 1989) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
wide receiver. He played in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
from 2011 to 2012. He was selected by the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
in the second round of the
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Boise State University
Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a publ ...
.
High school and college career
Young starred as a two-way wide receiver and
defensive back
In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
, known as a hard hitting safety at
University High School in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
before going to
Boise State
Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a publ ...
in 2007.
[Klenko, Robert]
Where is Titus Young?
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
, August 13, 2013. He had 204 receptions for 3,063 yards and 25 touchdowns in his collegiate career—the most in school history at the time—including 71 receptions for 1,215 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2010. During a 42–7 win over the Hawaii Warriors he had a career long reception for 83 yards.
Young was frequently in trouble during his time at Boise State. He frequently missed workouts and argued with coaches. He was forced to sit out the first quarter of the
2007 Hawaii Bowl
The 2007 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the 2007 Boise State Broncos football team, Boise State University Broncos from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and the East Carolina Pirates football, East ...
for an undisclosed violation of team rules. On October 11, 2008, Broncos coach
Chris Petersen
Christopher Scott Petersen (born October 13, 1964) is a former American football coach who was most recently the head coach at the University of Washington. Previously the head coach for eight seasons at Boise State University, Petersen guided ...
suspended Young for at least three games, again for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Two weeks later, Petersen extended the suspension indefinitely; in Petersen's words, Young and the Broncos "just need some time apart." He didn't play again for the rest the season.
[
]
Professional career
Draft
Young declared himself eligible for the 2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
. Despite his considerable talent, concerns about his behavior (one pre-draft training facility reportedly kicked him out just hours after he showed up due to his poor attitude) led many NFL teams to pass on him in the 2011 draft.[
]
Detroit Lions
After making the 2011 roster, Young was primarily used as the team's 2nd wide receiver, and played frequently in three-WR sets. On October 30 in a 45–10 defeat of the Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
, Young caught 4 passes for 66 yards, including his first career receiving touchdown. He caught two passes for touchdowns in a 45–41 loss to the Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
on New Year's Day. Young was named the Lions-Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association Rookie of the Year for 2011.
However, his personality changed dramatically as the season wore on. He was noticeably quieter than he had been earlier in the season, and he became increasingly undisciplined on the field. This culminated in a Week 13 game against the New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, when he shoved safety Malcolm Jenkins
Malcolm Jenkins (born December 20, 1987) is a former American football safety who played for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State, earning consensus All-American honors, and winning the Jim ...
in the face, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct
Unsportsmanlike conduct (also called untrustworthy behaviour or ungentlemanly fraudulent or bad sportsmanship or poor sportsmanship or anti fair-play) is a foul or offense in many sports that violates the sport's generally accepted rules of sport ...
penalty. He was benched for the rest of the game. There were other, less public incidents that led someone in Young's inner circle to ask the league for help. The league offered counseling, but Young turned it down.[
On May 21, 2012, the Lions sent Young home for two weeks after he sucker-punched ]Louis Delmas
Louis Delmas (; born April 12, 1987) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Western Michigan. He was also a member of the Miami Dolphins.
...
. On November 19, the Lions sent him home again for his behavior the previous day against the Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
. According to Lions coaches, Young deliberately lined up in the wrong position twice and got into a verbal confrontation with receivers coach Shawn Jefferson
Vanchi LaShawn "Shawn" Jefferson Sr. (born February 22, 1969) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the associate head coach & wide receivers coach for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He previ ...
. It was the last meaningful game Young ever played. He was deactivated for the team's Thanksgiving Day game a week later against the Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
, as well as the next week's game against the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
.[
On December 5, the Lions placed Young on injured reserve, ending his season. To express his frustration, Young ]tweeted
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
about not wanting to play anymore if he did not get the ball. A little more than a month later, on February 4, the Lions released Young.
St. Louis Rams
On February 5, 2013, Young was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arri ...
. The Rams were the only team that turned in a waiver claim for Young. However, he was released 10 days later, with the Rams saying they wanted to go "in a different direction". According to ''Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
,'' the Rams cut ties with him due to concerns about his behavior. He seemed lost in interviews with head coach Jeff Fisher
Jeffrey Michael Fisher (born February 25, 1958) is an American football coach who is the head coach and general manager for the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League (USFL). He is a former cornerback and return specialist. He ...
and other team personnel, and threw a fit when he was briefly barred from boarding a flight to Los Angeles after forgetting his ID.[
]
Legal troubles
On May 5, 2013, Young was arrested twice in the same day. He was arrested for suspected drunk driving, and 14 hours later he was arrested for attempting to steal his impounded car from the tow yard. Later that week on May 10, Young was arrested for a third time and charged on suspicion of burglary, resisting arrest and assaulting an officer in San Clemente, California
San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement") is a city in Orange County, California. Located in the Orange Coast region of the South Coast of California, San Clemente's population was 64,293 in at the 2020 census. Situated roughly midway betwee ...
.
On May 13, 2013, Young's father, Richard, revealed his son has a severe mental disorder and badly needed help. According to ''Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'', Young's family briefly checked him into Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
shortly after the Rams released him. He also briefly spent time at a facility in Detroit. Several people close to Young believed that his problems stem from concussion
A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...
s. He suffered at least one concussion in high school; University High players frequently led with their heads in a time when the dangers of that practice were not well known. He also claimed to have suffered concussions in college, and may have suffered one or two in his rookie year with the Lions. Richard Young believes his son's brain was compressed in the front of his skull at one point.[
On August 27, 2013, a California judge issued a bench warrant for Titus Young's arrest after Young missed a court hearing on charges of burglary and attempted burglary.
On December 18, 2013, Orange County prosecutors revealed that the criminal case against Young was close to being settled, but Young's trial was delayed again when he was hospitalized for "unspecified treatment."]
Young was arrested again on July 9, 2014, on five counts of battery
Battery most often refers to:
* Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power
* Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact
Battery may also refer to:
Energy source
*Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
. He was held in Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
on $105,000 bail
Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required.
In some countries ...
. In December 2014, a judge ordered that Young must stand trial. In May 2015, Young was sentenced to one year of inpatient treatment at a rehabilitation center in Escondido, California
Escondido is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Located in the North County region, it was incorporated in 1888, and is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. It has a population of 151,038 as of the 2020 census.
Et ...
, and five years' probation.
Young was arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon
An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...
and felony battery following a January 30, 2016, street fight in Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
On April 10, 2017, he was sentenced to 4 years in prison. He was released from prison on December 19, 2018.
Mental and brain health
Due to his personality changes, Young admitted he hears voices telling him to commit crimes, and it has been noted that he could have CTE due to multiple head traumas. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2013.
Career statistics
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Titus
1989 births
Living people
American football wide receivers
American people convicted of assault
Boise State Broncos football players
Detroit Lions players
Players of American football from Los Angeles