Tyrann Mathieu

Tyrann Devine Mathieu (; born May 13, 1992) is an American former professional football safety who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers and earned the nickname "the Honey Badger" (after the mammal of the same name) and gained a reputation for causing turnovers, setting a (SEC) record with 11 career forced fumbles. As a sophomore, he won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in college football, was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. Mathieu was dismissed from the LSU football program after that season due to a violation of team rules.

After spending a year out of football in 2012, he was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft, reuniting him in the defensive backfield with former college teammate Patrick Peterson. As a rookie in 2013 he was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team and has since earned three invitations to the Pro Bowl. Mathieu has also been selected to the first-team All-Pro team three times and the second-team All-Pro team once, having been selected to both in 2019 (as a first-team defensive back and a second-team safety). Mathieu also played for the Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs (where he was a member of the team that won Super Bowl LIV), and New Orleans Saints.

Early life A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Mathieu attended St. Augustine High School, where he played for the St. Augustine Purple Knights high school football team. He recorded 32 tackles, five interceptions, one sack and one fumble recovery as a senior.

While living in New Orleans' Central City, Mathieu was initially raised by his grandparents during the first five years of his life. His biological mother was absent the majority of the time and his biological father, Darrin Hayes, has been incarcerated for murder most of Mathieu's life. After his grandfather died in 1997, Mathieu was adopted by his uncle, Tyrone Mathieu, and aunt, Sheila Mathieu.

Mathieu also participated with the track and field team at St. Augustine High School. He was a member of the 4x100m relay team, and was one of Louisiana's top performers in the long jump and high jump. He recorded a personal best long jump in his final high school track meet with a mark of 23 ft 9.25 in (7.25 meters). That earned Mathieu a second-place finish at the 2010 LHSAA Track & Field State Championship. He also recorded a personal-best high jump of 6 ft 4 in (1.93 meters) in the prestigious 2010 Allstate Sugar Bowl Track & Field Classic during his senior year, finishing in second place.

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Mathieu was listed as the No. 13 cornerback in the nation in 2010.

College career

Mathieu accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Louisiana State University, where he played for coach Les Miles's LSU Tigers football team from 2010 to 2011.

2010 season As a true freshman in 2010, Mathieu played in all 13 games with one start. He finished the season with 57 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and two interceptions. He was the Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the 2011 Cotton Bowl Classic against Texas A&M after he recorded seven tackles, one tackle for loss, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception, one sack, and one pass breakup.

2011 season At the end of the 2011 regular season, Mathieu had 77 total tackles (60 solo and 17 assists), 1.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries (two returned for a touchdown), and two interceptions. On special teams, Mathieu had 26 punt returns for 420 yards, with two returned for a touchdown. On October 19, 2011, Mathieu was suspended for one game following a violation of LSU's drug policy. Mathieu was named the most valuable player of the 2011 SEC Championship Game. Mathieu earned the nickname "the Honey Badger" for his tenacious ability to play extremely tough football against much larger opponents as well as his dyed patch of blond hair on the top of his head in his college days which resembled the blond patch of hair on the back of a honey badger. This led to him being a Heisman Trophy finalist, eventually finishing fifth. On December 8, 2011, Mathieu was awarded the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the year's best defensive player in college football. This marked the second straight year an LSU defensive player won the nation's top defensive honor following Patrick Peterson in 2010.

2012: Dismissal On August 10, 2012, LSU head coach Les Miles announced that Mathieu would be dismissed from the football team due to a violation of team rules. News outlets reported that the dismissal was a result of repeated drug test failures, although Miles did not confirm those reports. Mathieu had formerly expressed an interest in returning to the program for the 2013 season. On August 17, 2012, Mathieu withdrew from LSU and entered a drug rehabilitation program in Houston, Texas. Mathieu's withdrawal was expected to last for the entire 2012–2013 academic year. However, on September 4, 2012, Mathieu ended his withdrawal and enrolled for fall semester classes. On October 25, 2012, Mathieu and three other LSU former players were arrested on possession of marijuana.

On November 29, 2012, it was announced that Mathieu would enter the NFL draft. Mathieu participated at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine on February 26, 2013. He ran a 4.50 40-yard dash, had 4 reps of 225 pounds, a 34-inch vertical, and a 117-inch broad jump. He also later participated at his pro day on March 27, 2013.

Professional career Pre-draft Prior to the 2012 season, Mathieu was ranked as the third best cornerback prospect in the upcoming 2013 NFL draft by NFL analyst Chad Reuter. On November 29, 2012, Mathieu stated his intentions to enter the draft. He was projected to be a second or third round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Mathieu was ranked as the tenth best cornerback prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com.

On May 10, 2013, Mathieu stated during an interview while watching former teammates practice at the Senior Bowl that he wanted to remove himself from any association with his "Honey Badger" nickname, saying that he wants to be known as "Tyrann Mathieu". This was an attempt to rebuild his reputation following a dismissal from LSU for failing multiple drug tests and an arrest for marijuana possession. Prior to his regular season debut with the Chiefs in September 2019, Mathieu was renamed by fans and teammates as "The Landlord", because he's the guy who collected the rent.

Mathieu is Catholic.