One cannot currently speak of talented American football safeties in the National Football League (NFL) without mentioning the safety of Houston Texans, Tyrann Mathieu, otherwise known as the “Honey Badger”. After starting his football career in high school and continuing his impressive stats at Louisiana State University (LSU), he was selected by the Arizona Cardinals for the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
He had struggled with a troubled childhood and drugs, the latter earning him several suspensions from his teams. He has remained steadfast and his talents have won out for him. He is currently playing for the Texans, having been released by the Cardinals in 2018. Do you want to know more? Then read on.
Tyrann Mathieu Bio (Age)
Tyrann Mathieu was born on May 13, 1992, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and came into the hardest of all life situations in which a child would like to be born. He was raised by relatives and uncles because his mother, Tyra Mathieu, left him at birth and his father, Darrin Hayes, was serving a life sentence for a murder he had committed when Tyrann was just two years old. He has other siblings he barely knows. His mother gave birth to five children by two different men within seven years. He is of African-American descent and has American citizenship.
Despite his difficulties growing up, Tyrann Mathieu was able to get a high school education. He attended St. Augustine High School and was active in sports. He was involved in athletics, especially in relay and jumping. Mathieu also discovered the possibility of playing football and joined the football team of the schools called the Purple Knights. He played as a cornerback for the Knights and was ranked 13th in the country after his impressive football career in high school.
He received a scholarship to play college football at Louisiana State University (LSU), and in his first season he played in all the games of the regular Tigers football season, but from the substitutes’ bench – except for one start. His second season was even bigger for the cornerback because although he tested positive for a banned drug (for which he served a one-game suspension), he recovered with performances that earned him the MVP award in the 2011 SEC championship game and the Chuck Bednarik Prize, following in the footsteps of Patrick Peterson, who won it for LSU last year.
The “Honey Badger,” as Mathieu was called by his teammates for his fearless ability to play against much larger opponents, was dismissed by the Purple Knights in 2012 over drug-related issues. He was declared for the 2013 NFL draft and was named 69th overall in the third round of the draft by the Arizona Cardinals, who played him as a safe instead of a cornerback.
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Tyrann Mathieu Pro Career, Stats
Tyrann Mathieu signed a four-year professional contract, after being selected by the Arizona Cardinals in 2013, worth $3.05 million with a signing bonus of $265,000. He fought for starting positions in the safety position within the Cardinals set-up with Rashad Johnson and Yeremiah Bell but was named as a replacement for Johnson. He got his chance as a free safety in the middle of the season when Johnson injured his finger until Tyrann injured himself at the end of the season in a win against the St. Louis Rams in December (he tore his left ACL and LCL). However, he earned himself a place in the first team in the All-Pro on the cornerback position.
The following season he returned to safety as a reserve when Rashad Johnson regained his spot. However, in the 2015 season, Mathieu was used as a freelance safety player for the first time in his professional career after the departure of defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, who was replaced by James Bettcher. He tore his right ACL and missed the last two games of the season, but he was nominated for the Pro Bowl for the first time and for the first time in the first team as an All-Pro, but this time as a Safety.
In the 2016 season, he signed a five-year contract extension worth $62.5 million with a $15.5 million bonus and a guaranteed sum of $21.25 million. However, he was dismissed by the Cardinals in March 2018 when he refused to take a salary cut that would reduce his annual salary to $11 million. That same month he joined the Houston Texans with a one-year contract for less ($7 million) than he would have received at the Arizona Cardinals.
Family Life – Father, Mother
The family life of Tyrann Mathieu is unique because of the difficulties he faced in his childhood. His father, Darrin Hayes, is a felon who was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder two years after Mathieu was born. His mother, Tyra Mathieu, was promiscuous and irresponsible as she left her son at birth and went off with other men. His parents were not married, but he has an older brother from both parents whose name is not mentioned. Mathieu also has half-brothers and half-sisters that his mother had from another man.
He grew up largely with his family on his mother’s side. First, he was raised by his grandfather Lorenzo until his death in 1997 due to heroin-induced heart failure. He then moved on to stay with his mother’s brother, Tyrone Mathieu, and his wife Sheila. He became homeless again when his uncle lost his house and everything he owned in a natural disaster – Hurricane Katrina – which forced Mathieu to move to Texas.
Who is Tyrann Mathieu’s Girlfriend? Son
Tyrann Mathieu is not yet married, but he has two sons (officially) by two different women. His first baby mama was Megan Edwards, who gave birth to his first son Noah Thomas in 2013. His second baby mama, Sydni Paige Russell, met at the college of the state of Louisiana, and the two of them started dating in 2011. Russell gave birth to his second son, Tyrann Mathieu Jr, in November 2014.
A lady, whose name is not mentioned, exclaimed Tyrann Mathieu for his irresponsibility in 2015, claiming he was the father of her daughter, Brylee Zanai Alexander. She claims that Mathieu blocked her from his social media platforms when she told him that she was pregnant and described how this happened. She claims the free safety slept with her while he was still dating Sydni Russell.
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Other Facts – Net Worth, Height
Mathieu has a net worth of about $23 million, which he spends for his luxury. He loves flashy cars and spent a whopping $230,000 to buy a brand new luxury, Porsche. He also has a BMW M5 and a Jaguar in his car collection. Tyrann also lives in a $2.4 million mansion in Louisiana.
For his body measurements, the Houston Safety is 1.5 meters 9 inches tall and his body weight is 84 kg. Tyrann Mathieu has dark brown eyes and his hair color is black.
