Tyrann Mathieu knows that some of the decisions he has made over the past five months or so may have completely derailed his NFL plans. Mathieu was kicked off LSU’s football team last summer following a series of failed drug tests. Rather than transferring, he decided to stay at LSU in hopes of rejoining the team next season. Then in October, he was arrested on drug-related charges and decided to enter the 2013 NFL draft.
Now, the “Honey Badger” is hoping some NFL team will take a chance on him in April. The 20-year-old cornerback is looking to make some changes in his life, and that includes ditching the “Honey Badger” persona.
“I think at LSU, the Honey Badger (person) came to an abrupt end,” Mathieu said Monday while watching some of his former teammates practice for the Senior Bowl, via The Shreveport Times. “I definitely want to do it the right way this time.”
Mathieu is obviously looking to start fresh, which makes sense given all the mistakes he has made since last year. His nose for the ball made him an intriguing NFL prospect, but now teams have to wonder if he can keep his act together.
“I think people will be (skeptical), and they have every right to do that,” he said. “I’m not (expecting) people trusting me. Trust takes time, especially when you have done a lot of things for people not to trust you. It may take two years, five years or until I’m 30 years old but the truth is I’m doing the right things and I’m looking forward to being a football player.”
While we understand what he is trying to accomplish by ditching the nickname, people are still going to call Mathieu the “Honey Badger” if he ever plays in the NFL. Adam “Pacman” Jones tried to ditch his nickname when he got himself into trouble several years ago, and he has had little success. Having said that, I’m sure Mathieu will be happy with anything his teammates and fans call him if an NFL team is willing to give him a shot.
