Tyrann Mathieu Bio, Career Stats, Family Life and Other Facts

Quick Facts

You can’t mention talented American football safeties in the National Football League (NFL) currently without mentioning Houston Texans safety, Tyrann Mathieu otherwise called “Honey Badger”. Having begun his football career in high school and continued his impressive stats to college – Louisiana State University (LSU), he was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

He had struggled with a disturbing childhood and drugs with the latter earning him multiple suspensions from his teams. He has remained steadfast and his talents have come through for him. He currently plays for the Texans after he was released by the Cardinals in 2018. Want to know more? Read on.

Tyrann Mathieu’s Bio (Age)

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on May 13, 1992, Tyrann Mathieu was birthed into the harshest of living situations any child would want to be born in. He was raised by relatives and uncles as his mother, Tyra Mathieu, abandoned him at birth and his father, Darrin Hayes, was serving a life jail sentence for a murder he committed when Tyrann was just two years old. He has other siblings who he barely knows. His mother gave birth to five children in the space of seven years for two different men. He has an African-American ancestry and holds the American nationality.

Despite his struggles while growing up, Tyrann Mathieu was able to get some high school education. He attended St. Augustine High School and was active in sporting activities. He was involved in track and field, particularly relay race and jumping. Mathieu also discovered an opportunity to play football so he joined the schools’ football team who were called the Purple Knights. He played as a cornerback for the Knights and was ranked at No. 13 in the country after his impressive football career in high school.

He earned a scholarship to play collegiate football at Louisiana State University (LSU) and in his freshman season, he played in all the games for the Tigers in the regular football season, howbeit, from the bench – save one starting appearance. His sophomore season was even bigger for the cornerback as even though he tested positive for a banned drug (for which he served a one-game suspension), he bounced back with performances that earned him the MVP award in the 2011 SEC Championship Game and the , following in the footsteps of Patrick Peterson who had won it for LSU the previous year.

The “Honey Badger” as Mathieu was called by his teammates because of his fearless ability to play against much bigger opponents was dismissed by the Purple Knights on drug-related issues in 2012. He declared for the 2013 NFL Draft and was selected in the third round of the draft as the 69th overall by the Arizona Cardinals who played him as a safety instead of a cornerback.

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 competed for starting places in the safety position within the Cardinals setup with Rashad Johnson and Yeremiah Bell, he was however named backup free safety to Johnson. He got his chance as a free safety in mid-season when Johnson had an injury to the finger until Tyrann had a season-ending injury (he tore his left ACL and LCL) in a victory against the St. Louis Rams in December. He, however, earned a first-team spot in the All-Pro at the cornerback position.

He returned as a backup free safety in the following season as Rashad Johnson reclaimed his spot. But in the 2015 season, following the departure of defensive coordinator Todd Bowles who was replaced by James Bettcher, Mathieu was named starting free safety for the first time in his professional career. He tore his right ACL and missed the last two games of the season but he earned his first Pro Bowl nomination and another first-team All-Pro but this time, as a safety.

The 2016 season saw him sign a 5-year contract extension that was worth a massive $62.5 million with a $15.5 million signing bonus and a guaranteed sum of $21.25 million. He was, however, released by the Cardinals in March 2018 when he refused to take a pay cut that will see his annual pay cut down to $11 million. In the same month, he joined the Houston Texans on a one-year contract for less ($7 million) than he would have received if he stayed with Arizona Cardinals.

Family Life – Father, Mother

Tyrann Mathieu’s family life is a unique one because of the difficulties he faced while he was growing up. His father, Darrin Hayes is a felon who was sentenced to a life sentence for murder two years after Mathieu. His mother, Tyra Mathieu was promiscuous and irresponsible as she abandoned her son at birth and went off with other men. His parents were not married, however, he has an older brother from both his parents whose name is not given. Mathieu also has half-siblings who his mother had for another man.

He grew up largely with his maternal family. First was with his grandfather, Lorenzo, until his death in 1997 as a result of heroin-induced heart failure. Then he moved on to stay with his mother’s brother, Tyrone Mathieu and his wife, Sheila. He became homeless again when his uncle lost his home 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) from two different women. His first baby mama was Megan Edwards, who gave birth to his first son, Noah Thomas in 2013. He met his second baby mama, Sydni Paige Russell in college at Lousiana State and they started dating in 2011. Russell gave birth to his second son, Tyrann Mathieu Jr. in November 2014.

A lady whose name is not given called out Tyrann Mathieu for his irresponsibility in 2015, claiming he is the father of her daughter, Brylee Zanai Alexander. She claims Mathieu blocked her from his social media platforms when she told him she was pregnant and went ahead to describe how it all happened. She claims the free safety slept with her while he was still dating Sydni Russell.

Other Facts – Net Worth, Height

Mathieu enjoys a net worth of about $23 million which he spends on his luxuries. He loves flashy cars and spent a whopping $230,000 to acquire a brand new Porsche luxury ride. He also has in his automobile collection a BMW M5 and a Jaguar. Tyrann also lives in a $2.4 million mansion in Louisiana.

For his body measurements, the Houston safety is 5 feet 9 inches tall in terms of his height and his body weight is 84 kg. Tyrann Mathieu has dark brown eyes and his hair color is black.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.