Honey Badger's Rehab Trip Hits LSU

Earlier this month, star LSU cornerback Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu was dismissed from his football team for violations of the school’s drug policy—and over the weekend, it came out via Honey Badger’s father that the young man had checked into Right Step rehab, in Houston, to get a handle on his pot problem (including synthetic mary jane). Mathieu is being helped in his recovery by former Houston Rockets basketball player and NBA head coach John Lucas, who battled cocaine and alcohol addictions himself before getting sober. LSU head coach Les Miles, who took the Tigers to the BCS National Championship Game against the Alabama Crimson Tide last season—only to lose 21-0 to ‘Bama’s suffocating defense—sounded rueful but optimistic when discussing Mathieu’s case. “We have a simple policy here of behavior,” said Miles. “Consequences are pretty spelled out and defined... For Ty, it’s an opportunity for him to redirect. He’s still got a bright future. I think he can really accomplish all the goals he set for himself. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be doable.” One thing that’s now less doable, however—at least for Coach Miles and the remaining Tigers—is winning a national championship this year. Prior to Honey Badger getting the boot, LSU ranked No. 1 in pre-season polls. But after news hit that Mathieu was out, the AP did a do-over on the voting—and results released on Saturday revealed LSU at No. 3, trailing USC and Alabama.