Seven years ago, the Arizona Cardinals took a chance on Tyrann Mathieu in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Mathieu was a former Heisman Trophy finalist who had been dismissed from LSU due to a violation of the school and team’s substance-abuse policy.
But his talent was undeniable, and the NFL already had a long history of giving players with troubled pasts — players with actual violent offenses — chances in the league. Yet, former Colts general manager Bill Polian said Mathieu didn’t deserve to be on a team’s board.
Polian said in the recently resurfaced video, “He’s proven to be irresponsible and continues, in my mind, to show some degree of irresponsibility. That makes him a poor teammate and a poor risk. I don’t know why you’d want him at any price.”
Fast forward seven years, and Mathieu is coming off a Super Bowl win with the Chiefs. He’s been named first-team All-Pro twice and has been recognized for his work in the community with the Tyrann Mathieu Foundation … and in the locker room by earning multiple captaincies.
Mathieu saw the video on Monday and had an answer for Polian, choosing to focus on the positives his NFL career has brought.
Well said, Tyrann.
It’s fair to say that Mathieu proved Polian, who also thought Lamar Jackson should be a wide receiver, wrong here.
