NFL Combine 2013: Tyrann Mathieu Was Sent For Drug Test at 4 a.m. Sunday
By Josh Sanchez
Troubled former LSU Tigers defensive back Tyrann Mathieu impressed NFL scouts during on-field workouts Tuesday at the 2013 NFL Scouting, but that won’t stop anyone from question his character issues.
Mathieu has a well-documented past with marijuana that led to his dismissal from LSU and found himself in trouble with the law shortly after on marijuana charges, so it is no surprise that many around the NFL still do not fully trust Mathieu has put his troubled past behind him and they are going to every measure in order to make sure Mathieu is clean.
In an interesting fact from Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback, King passed along the news that Mathieu was awakened at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday for a random drug test.
Let’s hope he passed.
Of course, one passed drug test will not erase all of the concerns, but it shows that Mathieu at least has the discipline to give up his former crutch during one of the most stressful and important moments of his life. That would be a positive sign.
Mathieu has been preaching honesty during his attempt to revive his image and this is his first test.
“I’m not totally asking them to trust me right now,” Mathieu said at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday. “What I have asked is for them to give me an opportunity to play the game. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on it, especially without football. It’s really given me a different outlook on life and it’s just about being the right kind of person.
“My best friend right now is honesty. I want to be as open as possible because I’m trying to rebuild peoples’ trust and I want those guys to be able to trust me. I hold myself accountable.”
One-on-one interviews with NFL teams will be instrumental in Mathieu’s draft stock. If he bombs the interviews, he could be considered undraftable. If he convinces teams to trust him, he could be a third-round pick.
Mathieu’s on-field performance at the combine was his first positive step in rehabbing his image, now the rest will be up to him to show his maturity.