Tyrann Mathieu On The “Honey Badger’s” Return

During his sophomore season, which he finished as a Heisman Finalist, Tyrann Mathieu was better known by his nickname the “Honey Badger.” But his junior year never happened as Mathieu dealt with his off-field demons. At this week’s NFL Rookie Symposium he was asked by a local paper if the nickname could make a come back.

“I don’t know if he’s going to come back this fall,” Mathieu told the Akron Beacon Journal. “I really don’t know. But right now, I’m happy being Tyrann. Tyrann is a fun guy, and I’m just ready to play some ball.”

Sometimes in addiction people acknowledge two identities they’ve developed. Honey Badger seems to remind him of a darker time, and is also affiliated with a time when he wasn’t the best version of himself. Mathieu wants to focus on being the best version of himself before the nick name makes a comeback, as a positive.

“I think it’s going to take some time, just because ‘Honey Badger’ happened at such a bad time, a time where I wasn’t making the best decisions,” Mathieu said. “So going forward, if I’m able to make the right decisions, able to be that role model for the kids, I think the ‘Honey Badger’ can be a pretty positive person.”