By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Until Tuesday night at the Shreveport Convention Center, the last time we saw Tyrann Mathieu, he was flanked by rap stars Lil Wayne and Boosie, doing the Victory Hill walk alongside Lane Kiffin before LSU’s Sept. 12 game against Louisiana Tech.
He felt tall, and it felt good.
“I’m next to people that I’m much taller than,” said a chuckling Mathieu, who despite standing 5-9, became a dynamic cornerback and kick returner for the Tigers in an abbreviated college career in 2010-11. “I felt like reaching over and tapping them on the head, saying ‘good boy.’”
He stood tall in his visit to Shreveport for the annual Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Kickoff Dinner, addressing how he got through disciplinary stumbles that ended his LSU career early, and reflecting on his evolution from growing up without present parents in New Orleans to becoming the defensive leader of a Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl champion highlighting a 12-season NFL career – and now, serving as a mentor for youth around his hometown.
“Over the course of my career, one of the things I was most proud to be involved in was this program we had with some kids in Louisiana, specifically the Baton Rouge area,” he told interview host Patrick Netherton. “To be able to share my time with them and learn them, right? Because I didn’t necessarily see ‘bad’ kids. I just saw kids that just needed help. They needed assistance.”
And he’d been there.
“I didn’t really grow up in a traditional sense,” he said, explaining his father was in prison for 30 years, until 2023. “I was raised mostly by my aunt and my uncle. Had it not been for them, I probably wouldn’t know what a football looked like.”
But they were infinitely more impactful for a confused boy.
“Before that, I thought nobody loved me. I thought, why is it me that couldn’t be with my biological parents? (Then) you start to look at it a different way — you’re actually happy. When I did move with my uncle and my aunt, I wasn’t a bad kid,” he remembered. “They definitely provided me with structure and discipline. I had household chores. I had to do my homework. I just couldn’t just play sports.
“Even when I did go through some of the things I went through later on in life, I was always able to sort of fall back on that,” said Mathieu. “People who know me knew I wasn’t a bad kid – I was just going through a rough patch.”
He weathered it.
His freshman year at LSU ended spectacularly, when he was the Most Outstanding Defensive Player in LSU’s Cotton Bowl victory. As a sophomore, Mathieu earned the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in college football and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
But he never played another down in Baton Rouge. He was suspended shortly before the 2012 season by coach Les Miles for violating team rules, and entered a drug rehab program. Two months later, a marijuana arrest moved him toward declaring for the 2013 NFL Draft.
While not discussing specifics of that rocky patch, Mathieu stressed values instilled by those who raised him, and strong influence by former Tiger teammate Patrick Peterson, were pivotal in navigating the turmoil and becoming a responsible adult and successful pro player.
“That was a lonely period for me,” he said. “Think about how high I was, a Heisman Trophy finalist, essentially, along with (Saints star) Drew Brees, the face of Louisiana football. But I look back on it, and I’m glad I stuck with it because I began to grow.
“It makes you a big proponent of mentorship,” he said.
It launched a pro career that required overcoming more adversity in the form of two knee surgeries and other injuries to earn four All-Pro honors as a cornerback and safety. To excel at the highest level required more than tenacity and skill, he explained.
“When you play against guys like that, you realize, your athleticism won’t get it done. You have to be able to think the game through, you have to anticipate what’s next. And then you have to have a great memory,” said Mathieu.
His proudest football achievements were his draft day, and helping the Chiefs win Super Bowl LIV.
“The Chiefs signed me to be the Patrick Mahomes of their defense. Going back to 5-6 years old, I always got close, never really got it done,” he said. “I had a lot of dreams as a kid, can’t tell you how many came true, but that was one that did.”
The last came as a surprise when he was considering retirement. Mathieu got to spend his last three seasons with his hometown team, the Saints.
“I always kind of wanted to be a part of that. It was great that the opportunity came around.”
Now, he is married, raising his five kids on the other side of Lake Pontchartrain from where he grew up. He drove to Shreveport and back home Tuesday, happy to share his entertaining and inspiring story with hundreds of strangers.
And, to the delight of the audience, forecasting success for his Tigers and Kiffin.
“I don’t think that they’re a championship team this year, but I think they will be very, very soon. I’m looking forward to it.”
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com