There aren’t too many people around that can dispute the talent of former LSU Tigers cornerback Tyrann Mathieu. In 2011, Mathieu racked up a litany of achievements as he helped The Tigers reach The Bowl Championship Series Title Game. Mathieu was a finalist for the prestigious Heisman Trophy and he was a Consensus All-American. Mathieu’s skills as a defender earned him The Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation’s top defensive player. Mathieu was The Southeastern Conference’s Player of The Year and after a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown in The 2011 SEC Championship Game against The Georgia Bulldogs, Mathieu was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Mathieu was given the nickname “The Honey Badger” by the head coach at LSU Les Miles for his ability to make things happen on the football field. Coming into 2012, The Tigers would once again head into the season with a top-tier football program with Mathieu leading the way as he had already been projected by many football pundits as a top 10 pick in this April’s National Football League Draft, but unfortunately for Mathieu and LSU, the script changed.
On August 10, 2012, Miles dismissed “The Honey Badger” from the team after repeated failures on his drug tests. This sent shock waves through the college football world as Mathieu appeared to have everything in the palm of his hands.
Miles left the door open for Mathieu to return to the team in 2013. Following his dismissal from the team Mathieu entered a drug rehab program in the hopes of reviving his once promising football career, but it didn’t take long for problems to again enter his world. Last October, Mathieu was arrested in Baton Rogue, Louisiana for possession of marijuana which ended any chances that Mathieu had of getting back into the good graces of Miles. Now with his college career officially over, Mathieu has his eyes set on a career in The NFL, but it won’t be easy.
Mathieu will take part in next month’s NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis with every pair of eyes at Lucas Oil Stadium on him. Let us not forget that Mathieu is only 20-years of age and the feeling of invincibility probably was apart of his mistakes. Mathieu is now entering the grown man’s world of The NFL where the slightest mistake is magnified. Aside from his innate athletic ability, Mathieu must now convince an NFL team executive to use a coveted draft pick on him. With his troubled background, Mathieu more than likely will not hear his name on the first two days of the draft. Even if Mathieu were to dazzle coaches and general managers alike at the combine with sub 4.5 speed in the 40-yard dash, there is still the cloud of uncertainty that will hang over him.
In today’s NFL it isn’t all about talent as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is no stranger to suspending players despite their athletic prowess. In Mathieu’s last season at LSU, he not only led The Tigers with 76 tackles, but he also had two punt returns for touchdowns, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 4 fumble recoveries. Mathieu is a playmaker, but his skills won’t mean anything if he is consistently being sat down by Goodell.
Life is about second chances and this will ultimately be Mathieu’s last chance. With Mathieu’s road to redemption set to begin, there are no chances to stop and there is no looking back. Five years from now if Mathieu stays out of trouble and possibly earns a trip to The Pro Bowl or he helps a team to win The Super Bowl all will be forgiven, but only “The Honey Badger” holds the key as destiny is in his hands.
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