Honey Badger to enter NFL draft
The Honey Badger is heading to the NFL.
Former LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu declared himself eligible for the next NFL draft, saying in a Thursday statement: "It is time for me to move forward."
Mathieu thanked his parents, coach Les Miles, former LSU teammates and fans.
"I am sorry that I was not able to complete my journey at LSU, but I will always support LSU in any way I can. To my teammates, you are my brothers. You have kept me going. I will do my best to make you all proud of me," he said.
The Heisman Trophy finalist was suspended and fast-rising NFL prospect was suspended for this season after failing an August drug test, and entered a treatment program.
He was arrested last month with three former teammates on a possession of marijuana charge. Mathieu and Jordan Jefferson were later released.
In a Baton Rouge police report, officers said they were responding to a complaint about a man trying to force his way through a security gate at the apartment complex where Mathieu lives. A resident let in the man, later identified as Jefferson. He was seen going into an apartment before officers arrived.
Police said Mathieu answered the door and officers obtained permission to search after smelling marijuana. Officers found a marijuana grinder, digital scale and 10 bags of high-grade marijuana, police wrote in a news release.
Rather than play at lower-division school, Mathieu re-enrolled at LSU but didn't play football. NFLDraftScout.com had projected him as a top-40 pick before his suspension. His value will depend on how teams judge his explanation of his off-field missteps.
"I am committed to tackling my personal issues and will work to better myself every day as a man first and only then as a football player," Mathieu said in his statement. "I will always consider myself an LSU Tiger."
