Vince was hit by a car as he rode a bike in his neighborhood when he was six years old. The handle bars from the bicycle were impaled into his stomach. He spent the better part of a year recuperating, and credits this life experience with what makes him physically tough. Now all he needs is a life lesson to teach him how to be mentally tough, and he's good to go... Because last year's little AWOL episode was just ludicrous - or is it ludacris:
(This song came out well after Vince was hit by that car back. And Ludacris wasn't even old enough to drive in 1989, anyway)
Who disappears after a little injury and a couple of boos from your hometown fans due to poor play?
Vince played poorly out of the gates in '08 before spraining a MCL during week one. After his 2nd INT, fans started to boo poor widdle Vince. After Vince came out of the game, apparently head coach Jeff Fisher gave Vince a little tough love and prodded him back into the game despite his injury. The Titans won the game, but Vince's feelings were hurt.
Two days after the game, Young left his home without his cell phone and was nowhere to be found. The story sort of grew in directions after that. It was rumored that while he forgot his cell phone, he didn't forget his gun and that his therapist told Fisher that Young had mentioned suicide (isn't it illegal for therapists to share patient's disclosures to anyone except ordered by a court?). Everyone was freaking out. Coach Jeff Fisher called the Nashville police, who ended up finding him after a four-hour search.
Apparently, Vince was unhappy that Fisher goaded him back into the game despite his injury. Add the pressure from being booed and playing like shit, and it ended up being more than he could handle - so he decided to runaway. We did that, too, a few times... when we were 14.
"I was to the point where man, I didn't really want to play no more because of the fact that I was that hurt," Young said. "I was that hurt from the boos and all the different things that were going on. It was just so much for me - I didn't want to play no more." - Vince Young to ESPN in June 2009
