Former Pro Bowl quarterback and Texas Longhorns star Vince Young is out of the NFL and is broke according to a report from the Associated Press.
Taken as the No. 3 player in the 2006 NFL Draft, Young signed a five-year, $58 million contract that included $25.74 million in guaranteed money, but now has lost most of it.
"I would just say that Vince needs a job," said Trey Dolezal, Young's attorney, when asked to give a general assessment of his client's finances, according to the report.
Young was previously with the Buffalo Bills, but was cut in late august. He spent the 2011 season as a backup for Michael Vick on the Philadelphia Eagles.
According to the report, Young claims he lost $5.5 million due to mishandling by his former agent, Major Adams, and a North Carolina financial planner, Ronnie Peoples. He is suing both of them in a lawsuit filed in June.
The suit was filed five days after a New York lender notified Young that a loan of nearly $1.9 million obtained in his name during the NFL lockout in 2011 was in default. Young is now seeking to stop the lender, Pro Player Funding LLC, from enforcing a judgment of nearly $1.7 million, claiming he wasn't involved in obtaining the loan and that the proceeds went to Adams and Peoples.
"They conspired to take Vince's money," Dolezal said. "It's that simple."
Peoples filed a countersuit and claims that all decisions were approved by Keith Young, who is Vicne Young's uncle and served as his business manager.
Peoples said that the issues are "a common occurrence ... as (former Titans coach) Jeff Fisher, (Texas coach) Mack Brown, numerous NFL executives, coaches, teammates, scouts, girlfriends and illegitimate children will attest."
Even if Young mismanaged his money or trusted the wrong people, he also wasted a ridiculous amount of money over the years.
According to OutKickTheCoverage.com, he was known to be a free-wheeling spender, including one time when he bought 120 tickets on a Southwest flight so he could have it to himself. Young also spent up to $5,000 a week at the Cheesecake Factory as a rookie and once spent $6,000 at a TGI Fridays.
Throughout his career, Young has had personal issues on and off the field.
In 2008 after a rough game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in which he threw two interceptions and hurt his knee, the following day Young left his house without his cell phone. He missed an examination by the medical staff and prompted Fisher to call the Nashville police because he thought Young was missing and had previously mentioned suicide. After a four-hour search he was found and he met with Fisher at the team facility.
In June of 2010 Young got into an altercation at a strip club that was caught on camera in Dallas. Young wasn't arrested in the fight, but later was hit with a lawsuit and also had to face a misdemeanor charge.
During the 2010 season he led the Titans to a 5-5 record before injuring his thumb in a game. Although he was ready to go back in, he was held out by head coach Jeff Fisher and then proceeded to throw his shoulder pads into the crowd as he left the field, had an altercation with Fisher in the locker room.
At the end of the season Titans owner Bud Adams said Young would no longer be on the team for next season.
Like many other athletes who crash-and-burn in professional sports, Young has a hard time blaming himself for his issues. According to the article, Young felt that the Bills decision to cut him was influenced by the fact that Pro Player Funding LLC tried to serve him legal papers during training camp.
"I wasn't in the room when they (the Bills) made a decision, but what would you think? It certainly wouldn't help me if I'm the owner or the head coach knowing all this is going on with Vince and then he goes out and plays poorly," Dolezal said.
Coming out of college, Young was seen as one of the next NFL superstars. He was drafted third by the Titans after a senior season at Texas that saw him win the National Championship at the Rose Bowl on a last second dash against USC.
He began starting for the Titans when they were 0-3 in 2006, and the led the team to an 8-8 record and won the Rookie of the Year Award. He made the Pro Bowl and threw for 2,199 yards and 12 touchdowns while also rushing for 552 yards and seven scores.
Young made his second Pro Bowl in 2012 after taking over as starting quarterback for the Titans when they were 0-6. He led the team to five straight victories, which was the first time in NFL history a team won five straight after losing their first six games.
He finished third that season in voting for the Comeback Player of the Year award.
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