Vince Young will work out for scouts at the pro day at the University of Texas on March 26, hoping to get another shot to play in the NFL. But as he looks to the future, he's also trying to make amends for his past.
In an interview with the NFL Network on Wednesday, the quarterback said he recently sent a letter to St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher, his former coach with the Tennessee Titans, apologizing for his actions during their time together. He said the death of teammate and mentor Steve McNair greatly affected him during that time period.
"I definitely wanted to apologize for the things that I did, letting him know about the frustration, a lot of different things that was going on in my life at the time, and want him to know that I really did appreciate him trying to make me become one of those type of leaders on the team, a successful quarterback," he said.
He said during his time with the Titans he was "immature and not paying attention and not listening, and taking my frustration out on a lot of people wasn't the right thing to do."
He said he hopes Fisher reads his letter and forgives him.
"I'm hoping him the best in his career and I hope I get the same opportunity to finish my career [in the way] that I want to finish it in," he said.
The Titans selected Young No. 3 overall in the 2006 draft, but he failed to live up to lofty expectations and was released by Tennessee in 2011 and spent that season with the Philadelphia Eagles. He signed with the Bills in 2012 but was released before the 2012 season began.
He said Wednesday that he believes his off-the-field issues, which include a financial dispute with his former adviser, had more to do with his release by Buffalo than his playing ability.
"I don't really feel like it was my game. I just really feel like [it was] some of the off-the-field issues," Young said. "I really feel like teams don't want their quarterback to be in a position where they're distracted. I was young at the time and I put my trust in a lot of people. I was getting taken advantage of. Basically I'm the victim of the situation. Just got to clean up that mess, just to let teams know I'm a little bit more mature than I used to be. I've grown a whole lot."
Young said Wednesday that he's more mature now, happily married with children, and ready to prove to teams he deserves another chance.
"I pray that I'll get an opportunity, but if not, [the pro day workout] was worth the try. I know I can be a big asset to a lot of the teams in the NFL right now. Just to let them know I've been staying on top of my game, just in case that opportunity do come," he said.
He said during his year out of the league he has worked with noted quarterback guru George Whitfield in an effort to stay sharp.