Angry Young can’t forget the Titans
QB freshly cut by Riders rips Fisher and Fitzpatrick, stirring bad memories
Former NFL quarterback and college football phenom Vince Young, whose comeback with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL was cut short this year when he suffered a torn hamstring, opened up to Sports Illustrated about the events that pushed him out of the league and to file for bankruptcy. In doing so, he ripped former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher and current NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Young, now on the Roughriders’ retired list, blasted Fitzpatrick, who recently signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers despite being third in the league in interceptions with the New York Jets in 2016. Fitzpatrick has played for seven NFL teams.
“I’d see a quarterback and be like, ‘Dude is garbage and I’m over here in the kitchen cooking turkey necks,’ ” Young told Sports Illustrated. “I hate to name-drop, but Fitzpatrick is still playing!? He leads the league in interceptions and he’s still (expletive) getting paid? I mean what the (expletive) is going on?”
Young, who had a rocky relationship with Fisher during their time together on the Titans from 2006-10, tried to refrain from criticizing his ex-coach by noting, “I’m saving that for my book.” But Young went on to call Fisher “jealous” and “envious.”
Most notably, Young blamed Fisher for what he called “the suicide incident” in 2008, an event that he believed marred his reputation. After straining his MCL in his left knee during a game, Young missed a medical exam and left his house carrying a gun; he was licensed and said he normally carried it with him.
Young was noticeably hurt after being booed by fans. His mother, Felicia Young, called the Titans. Young said Fisher called the team therapist and the Nashville police.
When he arrived at the team facility, Young said eight police officers and a negotiator were waiting for him. While the negotiator discussed whether Young was thinking of potentially hurting himself, Young suggested that Fisher orchestrated the sit-down on purpose to spite him.
“I’m looking at Fisher like, you can stop all this, all this suicidal talk,” Young said.
“He’s sitting there, not saying nothing. I feel like he was just laughing at that (expletive). The cameraman hiding in the woods — it all felt like a big setup. And now I gotta walk through the airport as ‘the Suicidal Guy’ for the rest of my life.”
Young also described a time when Fisher didn’t hold the team plane when Young was running late.
“I feel like Fisher did that (exple- tive) on purpose,” Young said. “I’m pulling in, seeing them pull the door down. I can hear the team yelling.”
Young said he told Fisher, who cited the team policy, “Where I’m from, that’s like saying, ‘(expletive) you.’ ”