WORSHAM: On the Ball
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| Plenty of blame, hypocrisy in Mathieu saga
Editor’s note: This column appears in today’s issue of Tiger Rag Magazine, our first edition since SI released its cover story on Tyrann Mathieu.
By CODY WORSHAM
Tiger Rag Editor
October is a busy month in the world of sports.
With college and pro football in midseason, professional baseball in the playoffs, NBA preseason getting started, soccer in play around the world, and even the WNBA in its finals, there’s many a story to be told among thousands and thousands of athletes.
So when Sports Illustrated’s Oct. 22nd issue hit stands - actually, when its cover story was released last week online - it was pretty shocking to see former LSU football star Tyrann Mathieu on its cover.
“Endangered,” read the headline text. “The perilous road of The Honey Badger,” said the subhead.
And there, clad No. 7 uniform not worn since Jan. 9, was Mathieu, eye-black under one eye, nothing under the other.
It was and remains a provocative cover, surprising as one Mathieu’s trademark turnovers; unexpected as one of Mathieu’s game-changing plays; sudden as Mathieu’s dismissal from the LSU team in August.
So why did SI writers Pete Thamel and Thayer Evans team up for this story?
“To me, Tyrann Mathieu is the most compelling figure in all of college football,” Thamel told WUBR’s Carter Bryant last week.
But here’s the thing: Mathieu isn’t the most compelling figure in all of college football. He’s not even in college football.
Still, Mathieu’s story is a fascinating one. His rough childhood, as detailed in the article, is both a stark contrast to his early collegiate successes and a presage to his later collegiate failures. The writers did a great job digging up Mathieu’s early days as a New Orleans youth, recounting his jailed father and disinterested mother.
It was fascinating, but it was also old news. In fact, Evans wrote nearly the same story for Fox Sports - in January. That story - “Mathieu motivated by family tragedies” - no longer has a live link on Google, as of Oct. 21, but the cached version is still online. And a comparative read of it and Evans’ SI piece reveals no new biographical information.
The only news in the piece was that Mathieu could have violated an NCAA rule while still eligible at LSU by appearing in videos and posters promoting a party at Baton Rouge nightclub The Palace in March 2012. That newsworthy portion, unfortunately, is buried in the middle of the story, earning just two paragraphs.
Certainly, Mathieu’s possible violation of NCAA rules is pertinent, for it could hinder his eligibility if he attempts to return to the LSU team in 2013, as has been speculated. The NCAA doesn’t allow student-athletes to use or permit the use of their images or likenesses to promote commercial goods or services, and Mathieu’s possible running-afoul of that particular bylaw is, by and large, newsworthy.
But “newsworthiness” and “SI cover-worthiness” are two different animals.
That detail of eligibility isn’t even worthy of this week’s Tiger Rag cover, in this editor’s estimation, much less the cover of the most popular sports weekly in the country. It’s too speculative an issue, at this point, because 1) it’s not a guaranteed violation of NCAA bylaws, which can be very gray; and 2) we’re not even sure Mathieu will - or can - return to the program.
And that’s not to mention the horde of ethical issues involving the story. SI is facing charges of harassment from the Mathieu camp (Tyrann and his family sent SI a cease-and-desist after they said the magazine badgered them for access they had already refused) and bribery from The Palace (a club promoter said SI offered him $2,500 to lie about Mathieu’s involvement with, and benefits reaped from, the party).
Yet here we are in October, and Mathieu’s face is plastered on newsstands all over the country, for one hypocritical reason:
To sell magazines.
SI is in the business of making money. And a cover story on a figure as provocative and popular as “The Honey Badger” is a money-maker.
Mathieu’s image, they must have reasoned, will get readers to pick up our magazine.
Just like Mathieu’s image must have gotten party-goers to The Palace.
The difference is that NCAA bylaws allow media outlets to use student-athletes’ likenesses, as long as the content associated with the image is informational in nature.
Suddenly, Dale Brown’s famous quip on the NCAA “legislating against human dignity” suddenly makes sense. God forbid Mathieu, or any other student-athlete, profit in the least from his success on the field.
No, that’s the exclusive right of the NCAA - and the media that cover it.
Mathieu’s image and likeness are unacceptable on a poorly-Photoshopped poster or grainy YouTube video, but it’s okay when it’s in NCAA Football ‘12 or Sports Illustrated.
Pointing the finger at those beneficiaries is too easy, though. In reality, we all share in the blame.
For starters, Mathieu himself made too many bad decisions, and those decisions have consequences - some fair, some unfair.
His circle of friends used his fame for their benefit, allowing its dangers to destroy him.
His coaches couldn’t get through.
His father watched it all unfold from prison.
And we watched it unfold from the stands.
In the days of multi-million dollar TV contracts, we made Mathieu an unpaid celebrity. We - the fans, the media, and the whole of college football - created The Honey Badger, a havoc-wreaking monster, on and off the field.
We shared in that monster’s successes. But we distanced ourselves from his failures.
And there’s where SI got its final cover wrong. They called him “The Honey Badger,” and implied that he is “Endangered.”
In reality, The Honey Badger is extinct. We killed him. All of us.
Instead, it’s the very foundation of college football - of the young men we make celebrities of one day and scapegoats of another - that’s truly endangered.
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Cody Worsham is the editor of Tiger Rag covering football and men’s basketball. Reach him at cody@tigerrag.com.
“POINTING the FINGER at those beneficiaries is too easy, though. IN REALITY, WE ALL SHARE IN THE BLAME.”
Thank you for proclaiming the TRUTH!!
Get over it. Move on. He made the choices. His public and his fans just made it easy and excusable for him to screw up his life. I admired him, but I’m tired of hearing about him and his FORMER association with LSU. Get on with life, and let him get on with his.
We the LSU football fans did nothing but cheer and celebrate “The Honey Badger,” natural great college football ability when he was performing in LSU tiger Stadium. The rest of Tyrann Mathieu life out side of the football field was his own privet life. That he was having trouble with the choices that hurt him and his family, is very much public because of the sports media. His sin that hurt him was his alone, and had nothing to do with the LSU college football fans. The sports media sins about reporting Tyrann Mathieu’s reasons for not playing football any longer on the LSU football team in turn was the sports media fault.
Tyrann Mathieu can still regain his honor with everyone who was hurt but his fall from grace. That’s the one think that I love so much about Jesus Christ Father. He forgives us of our trespasses, and helps us back into God amazon spirit. If Tyrann Mathieu happens to meet me walking on the sidewalk, I would be very glad to shake his hand and wish him well. I’m still very proud of Tyrann Mathieu?
All of you who blame the Honey Badger for his problems could not have done any
better, I feel sorry for this young man & hope he gets his life straight. How many of
us would be where we are today because of being raised in a loving family. I hope
& pray that he gets to be a TIGER AGAIN.
jjjjjjjjjjjj
At some point TM has to grow up and become a man. Who am I to judge someone I don’t even know except through the media? The media put out links and pictures of him at the club looking like he is in a drug induced stratoshpere. Those images make me question why I am such an avid supporter of LSU football if that is what they are about. I don’t want to judge people, really, but the media has stained my view of the LSU program. I am not on board with supporting drugged out thugs as the media has portrayed some of the players.
Since I viewed the links attached to that article, I have been kinda depressed and am questioning my loyalty. I don’t expect them to be choir boys but DAMN! Smokin’ who knows what, drinkin you know what, throwing gang symbols out on every picture….what other conclusions can we draw from that article other than disgust?
I do sympathize with the young man, but he made his own choices, not once but three times. When you get a warning - do it again and receive a second warning - then do it again, you deserve the punishment he got. I would be willing to bet that he will get into trouble again for substance abuse if he makes it to the pros. Some kids just do not get it, for whatever reason, and they do not deserve to be excused multiple times on the basis of their upbringing. He had a fantastic opportunity to better himself and be a shining star for others that may be raised in similar situations and he CHOSE to throw it all away, let down his team, his fans and his community! Sorry, I can not feel he deserves another chance, nor do I feel it is in the best interests of the team to take him back, regardless of his athleticism or his productivity on the field.
Thank you very much for this article. This is the absolute TRUTH. Great job!
The Honey Badger is 20-21 yrs of age. According to the new media,(I dont know for a fact), he had a troublesome childhood; but fortunately someone took him in.
A broken home is quite traumatic to any individual with average intelligience and I believe HB has above average. To have one of your parents imprisoned and have to bare that image alone is quite tramatic, besides coming from the afrorementioned home.
I, like many others come from a broken home.. Thank God I never had to hear someone call me a jailbird’s kid and I had a very loving mother; which I believe he never had.
I have tremendous compassion on HB; but; sooner or later, we must become accountable for our actions. You cant live like a thug and expect to be treated like a person with integrity and respected. Sure the fans respect his athletic ability; because he was blessed with plenty of that; but; as so many young athletes do; you start to think you are above the law. I pray he gets his life straight and uses the God given talent he has.
But Mr LeDoux, why condemn HB for doing drugs when the ‘Leader” of the girls basketball team is an unwed mother. Now, tell me, as far as society goes, which will have the greater affect? When your leader is sleepn around, what does that say to those you are leading? At least LM is being an example for his boys; on and off the field.
james c, sorry my post was confusing. I am absolutely not condemning HB. I am condemning the media for their portrayal of him, whether it is true or not, I don’t know because I don’t know him. How can I judge him when I don’t even know him? Just from an outsider viewpoint, be honest with yourself, if you were to look at his history of drug abuse, the opportunities he has wasted, the pictures and links to the club, etc., etc. what conclusions can a person draw from this other than the one that the media painted? Granted the pictures and links were really eye opening for me. All I know is what I hear from the media and it is all bad………
I have no room in my life to judge anyone on the way they live their life, I may not agree with it but that is not my position to judge. I have many weaknesses of my own and I will only be judged by God.
SEVERAL YEARS AGO I WENT TO WATCH L.S.U. FOOTBALL PRACTICE. KARL DUNBAR, OPELOUSAS NATIVE , FORMER BALL PLAYER AND L.S.U. COACH AND NOW COACHING WITH THE MINNESOTA VIKING WAS TALKING TO MY FRIEND BEFORE PRACTICE. I ASKED KARL ONE QUESTION - WHY IS IT SOME FOOTBALL PLAYERS THINK THAT YOU OWE THEM MORE THAN A SCHOLARSHIP AND A CHANCE TO PLAY ON NATIONAL TV SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR, PLAY IN FRONT OF 98,000 PEOPLE EVERY HOME GAME, AND GO TO A BOWL GAME. HE SAID: SOME GUYS JUST THINK THAT YOU OWE THEM MORE. I SAID: LET THEM TO TO NICHOLS STATE, OR U.L.L. TO A SMALLER STAGE WHERE THE LIGHTS ARE NOT AS BRIGHT. THE HONEY BADGER MADE SOME BAD CHOICES AND HAD THE WRONG FRIENDS. THE LIGHTS MAY HAVE BEEN TO BRIGHT.