Why was Tyrann Mathieu cut from LSU? Exploring the career setbacks of the NFL safety

Tyrann Mathieu has been a part of the NFL for almost 11 seasons and has made a decent name for himself. Mathieu is most popularly known for his Super Bowl-winning season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020.

Right from his St. Augustine high school days, Tyrann Mathieu has been an athlete. He played for the Purple Knights, while also being a part of the school's track and field team, going on to be a top performer of the state in the long jump event. Mathieu then decided to commit to LSU, coming in as a four-star recruit, as per Rivals.com. But his LSU career was short-lived, as Tyrann Mathieu got cut from the team in 2012.

The safety played in LSU under former coach Les Miles. He was a true freshman, who had one start for the team while getting time on the field in all the games of the 2010 season. The 2011 campaign was the time when Tyrann Mathieu made his mark in LSU, becoming the MVP of the 2011 SEC Championship game between the LSU Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs.

They won the SEC championship that year, earning a place in the College Football Playoffs. The safety earned the nickname 'The Honey Badger' for his performance while facing tough opponents.

The safety racked up 77 total tackles, five forced fumbles, and two INTs during that campaign. But soon after, Tyrann Mathieu was cut from the LSU team for reportedly violating the school's substance abuse policy.

Tyrann Mathieu of LSU Tigers

He reportedly failed multiple tests for substance abuse, which led to Miles deciding to release the safety from the roster. He then entered a drug rehabilitation program soon after, where former NBA star John Lucas helped him in his path to recovery.

While it was expected that he would be out for the entirety of the 2012-13 season, Mathieu went on to enroll in classes for the fall. But soon after, in October, he, along with three other players from the LSU Tigers, were arrested for marijuana possession. Mathieu then declared himself for the 2013 NFL draft.

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Tyrann Mathieu was plagued with injuries in his NFL journey

The Arizona Cardinals picked the safety as the 69th overall pick of the 2013 draft. Mathieu signed a four-year $3.05 million rookie deal with the team, thus beginning his journey in the NFL.

But in his debut season itself, the 31-year-old tore both his ACL and LCL in his left leg while playing against the St. Louis Rams in December, ending his rookie season on the injured reserve list.

The next season saw Tyrann Mathieu miss training camp as well as the season opener. He served as a backup to free safety Rashad Johson from Week 2 of the 2014 campaign. But once again, in November, he injured his thumb against the Atlanta Falcons, once again missing out on playing time for the team.

The following years also saw Tyrann Mathieu suffer from injuries. In 2015, he tore his right ACL against the Philadelphia Eagles, missing out the rest of the regular and post-season games. 2016 was the same, as he was ruled out of the team after injuring his shoulder against the Carolina Panthers. After playing for a year with the Houston Texans in 2018, Mathieu spent the next three seasons with the Chiefs.

Fortunately, the safety did not suffer from any injuries during his time with the Chiefs Kingdom. He was also a part of the team that won the Super Bowl LV in 2020 against Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Mathieu tested positive for COVID-19 in 2021 and was later placed on the COVID-19 reserve list. Mathieu recovered, going on to start in all of the games for the Chiefs following his recovery.

Last year, the New Orleans Saints signed Tyrann Mathieu to a three-year, $33 million deal. He was named as the starter for the team in 2022, racking up 91 total tackles, 3 INTs, and 1 forced fumble.