This article is an unconscionable spewing of ignorance.
On Sportcenter last night one of the ESPN anchormen asked a Tennesse reporter: "How can a football star millionaire like Vince Young possibly be depressed and suicidal?"
Again...the ignorance here is astounding.
Mental illness is a disease that afflicts those pre-disposed to it, regardless of a person's affluence or place in society.
Before I continue, consider the following poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson:
Richard Cory
Whenever Richard Cory went downtown,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean-favored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said.
"Good morning," and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich--yes, richer than a king--
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head. (1897)
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What this poem suggests is that people who are put on pedestals may either not warrant the envy of others because of just how simply human and vulnerable they are, or they may be finding it painfully lonely residing up on that pedestal alone.
While perhaps one or both of these reasons may apply to some degree to pro athletes like Vince Young...there may be another simple reason why the man is depressed...it may be a hereditary affliction...those pre-disposed to depression are far more likely to become depressed and all the fame and money in the world cannot prevent it.
The greatest myth about people who are depressed and of mental illness is that it's a condition that the afflicted person chooses and can readily turn off. Those of you who really know what depression is like would immediately avow that certainly no one intentionally signs up for it, and no one has the power to snap his/her fingers and have it go away.
Treating depression takes months and sometimes years. For those who are treated with anti-depressants, it takes 6 to 8 weeks for the drugs to even start to take effect. Imagine how torturous that is for someone who literally cannot function and enjoy any of life's simple pleasures because s/he is trying desperately to crawl out from under her/his own skin.
Jason Whitlock's insensitivity to Vince Young's situation is not only ignorant, it is typical of the kind of societal disdain ignorant people manifest for those---particularly those tied to privilege--who suffer from this insidious affliction. How dare a rough and tough football star like Vince Young be so weak? How ungrateful and lacking in grace must Vince Young be? What kind of a role model is Vince Young? etc. etc. etc.
If anything being a pro football player would actually increase the odds that a person become depressed. On the one side, the affluence these players attain creates a world chock-full of all of life's comforts and conveniences. By sharp contrast, the physical and mental strain and persistent agony that pro football players have to endure--engaging in--short of actual warfare itself--what has to be one of the most violent endeavors known to humankind.
Harken back to Achilles the bravest, most heralded and best of all the Greek warriors...when Achilles wasn't fighting, he could be found brooding in his tent. Achilles himself was a paradox...and if he had his own druthers he wouldn't have fought at all. Intense conflicting feelings will often cause depression...even to the toughest and bravest of all.
Tomorrow the Cardinals wil be playing against Ricky Williams, who was mercilessly bashed by the press and by his peers for expressing a desire to pursue a life outside of football. It didn't help that Williams was a self-proclaimed marijuana smoker--what heresy that was??? Star pro football players don't smoke pot, do they?
Say whay you will about Williams, but he, like millions of young Americans, was trying to discover his true identity and spirituality...he was drawn to India much the way Pat Tillman was drawn to the top of the watertowers in Tempe. Two young Americans trying to find the truth to what really matters most in life.
To denigrate Williams or anyone else for embarking on such a journey is equally ignorant. All people, be they famous football stars or not, are entitled to their own unique paths. As Henry David Thoreau proclaimed, "How worn and dusty, then, must be the highways of the world, how deep the ruts of tradition and conformity!"
What Thoreau concuded so eloquently is that "if a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer."
The notion that Vince Young could be a little different...the notion that he, despite his stardom and all the affluent triimmings that go with it, could be pondering retirement from the most violent team sport in the world...and, sadly, the notion that he has been feeling so conflcted and depressed that he has even pondered suicide, should arouse symapthy and compassion, not disdain and incredulity.
Credit the Titans and Jeff Fisher for being so vigilant...and perhaps they will continue to try to do all they can to help Vince Young help himself and his family. If it means putting Young on IR for the year...which certainly the Titans would hate to do...let's hope they do it and thereby make the statement to all those watching that a human life is more important than a professional football game.
