Tyrann Mathieu Admits He Started Smoking Weed Regularly When He Was 12: “That Was Like Popping a Can of Soda Open”

Heading into the 2013 NFL Draft, it was really unclear what kind of pro career Tyrann Mathieu was going to have. According to reports, the former LSU star/Heisman hopeful failed around 10 drug tests during his time in college and spent a season on the sidelines as a result of it. He had a really bad problem with marijuana and reportedly struggled to survive without it, which is why so many NFL teams passed on him in the draft.

Through his first two NFL seasons, Mathieu has seemingly put his troubles behind him and proved that he belongs in the league. He hasn’t had any off-the-field issues since the Cardinals spent a third-round pick on him, and it appears as though he has learned how to live without weed. He has also become a staple of the Cardinals’ defense and turned into one of head coach Bruce Arians’ favorite players.

Prior to Arizona’s win against the 49ers yesterday, Fox Sports ran a segment on Mathieu that featured Jay Glazer interviewing him. During the interview, Mathieu admitted that he started smoking weed when he was just 12—“That was like popping a can of soda open,” he said—and also revealed just how dark his life got during his LSU days.

Check out the interview in the clip above. We’ve spoken with Mathieu on several occasions since his entrance into the NFL, and it’s great to see how far he has come in such a short amount of time.

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