Advice for Felicia and Vince
Note to Felicia Young, mother of Vince: You aren’t helping your son by talking to the media at length about what the Titans star quarterback is going through.
“What would you think, if you were tired of being ridiculed and persecuted and talked about and not being treated very well, what would you do? What kind of decision would you make?” Felicia Young said. “He may not want to deal with it (all), but you have to get to that point before you make that decision first. “But we’re not talking about football right now. We’re talking about what would make him happy, and that is the most important thing … You don’t want people to be hurting like he is. But it is a growing-up process, and he will eventually come out like gold no matter what. But Vince is going to be OK. We are just going to try and give him some space.”
Vince Young is under an enormous amount of pressure, and I don’t blame him one bit for feeling stressed out about it. At the same time, he didn’t sign a multimillion-dollar contract to play football in front of tens of thousands of fans (and millions of viewers) without knowing that his performance would be open to public scrutiny.
His injury, while unfortunate, may be a blessing in disguise: He can take time to deal with what is going on in his life and work through whatever he is feeling. At 25, Young is young, and it’s understandable that it’s not easy to learn and prosper with half the world watching his every move. I’m encouraged, honestly, to see a psychologist brought in to the situation and hope that Young will allow a clinical professional to help him overcome his struggles.
It’s only natural for a parent to want to defend her child, but doing it in the public eye only increases the focus-and the pressure-on Vince.
September 10th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Right on, Rob. I could just hear Vince saying “Oh mom, please…”
I was critical of Vince from what I saw at the game Sunday. But given the impression of what’s going on with him emotionally I empathize, and I wish people would lay off him for awhile.
September 10th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I think that same, “Oh mom, please,” thought must have been in my mind, too. I’d be frustrated and embarrassed, and as you said, what Vince appears to need most right now is some time out of the limelight. I hope he gets that chance.