Players of questionable character abound in the NFL, and in sports in general. There are a select few players who have the physical skills to play a sport like football at the highest level, and who are willing to subject their bodies to the physical rigors of the league. As such, organizations put up with the kind of folks that would not last long in other jobs. While this is not always ideal as a fan, there is a certain level of unpleasantness related to rooting for a team featuring a guy like Michael Vick or the multitude of NFL players with multiple DUIs on their record, for teams, it makes sense, at least on the field.
The Detroit Lions have had some players who have negative marks on them, and still do. Ndamukong Suh did stomp on a dude. Nick Fairley has a DUI (I don't really care about his marijuana bust). However, these are issues that tend to take place off the field. It's the stuff on the field that is more of an issue. One player who has had issues within the parameters of the team has made some noise on the internets recently and, to me, it's enough to want the Lions to be done with him. The Lions should release Titus Young and just be done with him.
To be fair, I don't think Detroit should have taken him in the first place. As I have written elsewhere, unless you are desperate for wide receiver, or they are an elite prospect, taking a receiver in the first couple of rounds is a foolish use of a pick. When they have character concerns, it's even more risky. Sure, wide receivers often have the reputation of being divas. However, for all those complaints about the likes of Terrell Owens and Dez Bryant, they took care of business on the field.
Young isn't nearly that good, and he never will be. He doesn't have the skills or physical ability to be anywhere approaching elite. Then, there are the multiple character issues. He took swing at Louis Delmas. Last year, it came out that he was lining up in the wrong places as a form of protest. Why Detroit didn't cut him there, I do not know. I don't tend to get riled up about stuff players do that lead to hands being wrung, but that irks me quite a bit. The Lions figured out how to stick him on injured reserve, but that wasn't enough. Now, Young has gone on the Twitter and basically said "Throw me the ball or I am going to quit football."
There is no reason to bother with a blithering idiot like Young if you are the Lions. He's an adult man. He's not going to change. His skill level is eminently replaceable. At the very least, Detroit can get somebody close to his level without any of the headache. I'm not a big "team chemistry" guy, but having somebody like Young around is an unnecessary hassle. Let Young quit football. He probably won't. He may have just been venting frustrating anger in a buffoonish manner on Twitter. I don't care. Titus Young is expendable. Titus Young should not be a Lion when the 2013 NFL season begins.
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