A smoke shop in Phoenix decided to take out an ad in a local newspaper to welcome Tyrann Mathieu to town.
The ad is for Bud’s Glass Joint in Phoenix, which bills itself as “what a Phoenix Smoke Shop should really be.” The ad appears in the Phoenix New Times, and it states: “Honey Badger. Welcome to Phoenix! We have what you’re looking for.”
Mathieu, aka the Honey Badger, was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the NFL Draft two weeks ago. He was kicked off the LSU football team reportedly for failing multiple drug tests. He later went to rehab for his marijuana addiction and admitted he abused himself through the extensive use of marijuana.
Though the ad was clever, Mathieu passed his drug test at the combine and hasn’t shown hints of a continued struggle with the substance. I also imagine LSU won’t be too happy about Bud’s Glass using their logo for the ad.
By Larry Brown | April 26, 2013 - Posted in Football
Tyrann Mathieu finally went in the draft. The Honey Badger was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round — No. 69 overall — which may have been slightly higher than what most people expected. He was so overcome with emotion after being picked that he began crying.
Mathieu’s stock had fallen after he was kicked off LSU’s football team for reportedly failing multiple drug tests. He spent some time in rehab and missed the entire football season. But Mathieu passed his drug tests at the combine and insists he is clean. He even said during an interview with ESPN after being picked that he would agree to weekly drug tests.
Mathieu was asked by ESPN’s Trey Wingo what he and the Cardinals discussed on the phone when he was picked. He said they talked about some stipulations that might be in his contract.
“It’s going to be certain things in the contract that I have to fulfill,” Mathieu told Wingo. “I have to hold my end of the bargain up. Whether that’s weekly drug tests, I’m all for that, too. I’m ready to get back out there, I’m ready to show everybody that marijuana isn’t an issue any more. It’s not an issue. I just want to play football and help my team win games.”
Mathieu said he was happy to finally get past some of his past problems, which he describe as old news.
“All the nonsense that’s been coming out the last month? That’s 7-8 months old. I’ve crossed that bridge. I haven’t failed a drug test, I haven’t been in trouble. I’m ready to play football,” Mathieu told Wingo.
“Seven months ago I didn’t think I’d be in this situation. I had everything taken away from me. I kept pushing and I kept fighting. I’m just so happy that someone else had faith in me.”
Arizona has players with whom he is familiar already on the roster, and you have to figure his relationship with former LSU cornerback and mentor Patrick Peterson had a lot to do with the pick.
Tyrann Mathieu may have had a lot of off-field problems entering the NFL Draft, but a girlfriend wasn’t one.
The former LSU cornerback has been dating Sydni Paige Russell since at least 2011. That was the time when Mathieu, then known as the “Honey Badger,” was blowing up for the Tigers. He became a Heisman Trophy finalist that season despite dealing with numerous issues. Not only did he test positive for synthetic marijuana, but he was also at the center of a nude picture scandal.
Some naked pictures of Mathieu popped up online, allegedly coming from women with whom he was fooling around. The pictures were apparently a side girl’s response to Mathieu professing his love for Paige over social media. Paige and Mathieu brushed aside the pictures at the time, saying they were old and from high school. Paige didn’t waver even when another groupie tale involving Mathieu emerged last year.
An Oct. 2012 Sports Illustrated article on Mathieu mentioned that he was set to become a father in January. Considering that Russell spent the entire year as a cheerleader for the New Orleans Hornets, we’re pretty certain she was not pregnant. We believe this is the woman who had Mathieu’s child 12 weeks ago.
Mathieu and Russell continue to tweet and Instagram like everything is going great. There have even been hints of the two getting married soon. When it was Russell’s 20th birthday last week, Tyrann gave her a cake with her name as “Sydni Mathieu.” A couple of months ago, she referred to him as her “hubby to be.”
Russell appears to be a student at LSU who is completing her sophomore year. She was one of the New Orleans Hornets “Honeybees” for the basketball season, though she has indicated she likely will not be back with them next season.
She stated in her online profile for the Honeybees:
By Larry Brown | April 24, 2013 - Posted in Football
It was already a bad enough idea for Tyrann Mathieu to host an NFL Draft party. When you have a reputation for having off-field problems that include a past marijuana addiction, being a party guy is not the image you wan’t to portray. But it’s also questionable when the flyer bills you as a “1st Round Draft Pick.”
Mathieu posted a picture to Instagram Wednesday of a flyer for a post-draft party he is having in New York on Thursday. Not only did he receive backlash for hosting the party, but people also pointed out that it was pretty ballsy of him to call himself a future first-round pick. He later addressed the flyer on Twitter, saying the first-round part was not his doing.
Whoever did make the flyer doesn’t pay too much attention to mock drafts. Mathieu is expected to be picked sometime on the second day of the draft, which is when the second and third rounds will take place.
Mathieu has disassociated himself from the “Honey Badger” nickname he earned at LSU as part of an effort to clean up his image. Flyers like this won’t help his cause. We still expect one team to take a chance on him relatively early because of his special playmaking ability.
UPDATE: A minute after publishing, Mathieu tweeted to say there would not be a party.
Tyrann Mathieu had a serious issue with not being able to lay off the marijuana while at LSU. His inability to put down the herb ultimately cost him his college career, and now the artist formerly known as the Honey Badger has to make sure it doesn’t do the same to his future.
So how bad was it? One NFL assistant coach told USA Today Sports on Thursday that Mathieu was asked how many drug tests he failed in college before LSU suspended him.
“I quit counting a 10,” the coach said Mathieu responded. “I really don’t know.”
The coach, who chose to remain anonymous, added that it is clear Mathieu was not given the help he needed at school if he failed that many drug tests before the school took action. That probably has something to do with the fact that Mathieu was one of the best players in the country on a team that was competing for a national championship.
As we know, Mathieu’s drug use eventually became too much for LSU to handle. He was kicked off the team and spent some time at a drug rehab facility before eventually admitting that he “abused” himself through the use of marijuana. Mathieu now claims he has put marijuana use behind him.
While I’m sure the NFL team that asked him that question appreciates the honesty, his history of drug use is obviously a major concern for NFL teams who are considering taking a chance on Mathieu. The 20-year-old claims he was the best player at the NFL Combine in February and insists he is clean, but he is not very far removed from marijuana being a major part of his life. If he truly is on the right track, the hope is that Mathieu can stay there.
By Steve DelVecchio | March 13, 2013 - Posted in College Football
Considering he has not played in an actual football game since 2011, former LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu put together a pretty impressive showing at the NFL Combine last month. He ran a 4.50 in the 40-yard dash and reportedly held his own in drills, so his actual performance probably didn’t do much to affect his stock.
As we know, Mathieu’s NFL prospects hinge more on whether or not teams are willing to take a risk on him given his history of off-field issues. According to the artist formerly known as the Honey Badger, any team that drafts him would be selecting the best player from the Combine.
“I feel like I was the best one there, by far,” Mathieu confidently told TMZ on Tuesday. “I put a lot of hard work into it. I just tried to go out there confident in my game.”
Between these comments and the ones he made about shutting down Calvin Johnson, it seems like Mathieu feels like he can talk his way into the NFL. He was also asked which NFL team he would most enjoy playing for.
“It’d have to be the 49ers, just as a fan” he said. “They’ve got a pretty good organization. They’ve got a pretty good dynasty that they’re trying to pursue. It’d be great to be a part of the 49ers club.”
No team is going to wager their future on Mathieu, so a team that is already in good shape defensively like the Niners could be one of the ones to show interest in him. However, I’m sure he’d be happy to play for any team in the NFL. With how quickly Mathieu’s stock has fallen, just hearing his name called in April would be a success.
By Steve DelVecchio | February 27, 2013 - Posted in Football
Former LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu has spent his time at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianpolis trying to prove to NFL teams that he still holds value, despite having not played in an actual game since 2011. When he did play, Mathieu had the best ball skills of any defensive back in the nation. However, there have always been questions about how his size would translate to the professional level.
Through all of his struggles off the field, Mathieu seems to have remained confident. On Tuesday, he talked about whether or not he could hang with the NFL’s best receivers.
“I feel like if I was to check somebody like a Calvin Johnson, he’ll make his plays, but I’m definitely going to get mine, too,” Mathieu told the NFL Network, via MLive.com. “He’s going to catch his five balls, but I’m going to get my two turnovers, so we’ll be even.”
Mathieu ran a 4.5 in the 40 and reportedly looked solid in drills, so the Combine was not a failure for him. He is only 5-foot-9, 186 pounds, so his expectations of how he would match-up against Megatron could be unrealistic. He’d be giving up an incredible amount of size, which is the type of situation that Johnson has feasted on since coming into the league. Mathieu also sent out a tweet as a follow-up:
You got to understand I have the ultimate respect for Calvin Johnson.. He is a freak of an baller & the best in the game but I’m gon compete
What would you expect him to say? The artist formerly known as the Honey Badger has more to prove than most NFL prospects, so at the very least he needs to show teams he is still confident in his abilities. Nobody wants to hear Mathieu say he’d stand no chance against someone like Johnson, even if it may be true.
