Long before Titus Young's football career melted away, the NFL attempted to help the troubled receiver regain control of his life.
Eric Adelson of Yahoo! Sports reported Thursday that nearly 18 months before the former Detroit Lions wideout was arrested three times in a single week, Young declined help from the league.
"It was someone very, very close to him who was just concerned -- really concerned," Troy Vincent, the NFL's senior vice president of player engagement, told Adelson. "Once we got the call, we sent someone out to meet with him."
Vincent confirmed that his office "tried multiple times" to reach out to Young, who swatted them away each time.
"We were told he was not interested in support," Vincent said. "We went to people very close to his center of influence, to reach out to see how we can support him. The response was of someone who is not open arms to being supported."
Vincent's player engagement department is built around assisting players who have off-the-field problems. Current and former players -- and their families -- have access to a hotline they can dial for help at any time. That means Young remains eligible for the service, and Vincent continues to keep that door open.
"We can reach out, which we have done," Vincent said. "We look to assist and support -- to get him on track. We've reached out. We have been reaching out prior to his last incident. We've been working hard for quite some time in this situation. Everything is available to him."
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
