Tyrann Mathieu explains how trying to beat a drug test nearly cost him his life

Former NFL All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu learned the hard way not to resort to desperate measures. The LSU star once took to try to stay eligible in college, but there was one decision he says nearly cost him his life.

During a recent episode of his podcast, In The Bayou with Tyrann Mathieu, he detailed the extreme lengths he went to in an attempt to beat drug tests while starring for the Tigers. Mathieu said he once drank bleach after seeing a post online that claimed it could help alter test results.

“I come across something that said put a little bleach in your Coca-Cola,” Mathieu said. “So I did that. My whole insides were erupting. I was throwing it up. At that point I was like, ‘I’ve run out of tricks.’”

Mathieu admitted he tried nearly every method he heard about, including having others attempt to take tests for him and using fake devices, all while knowing continued failures could end his college career. Ultimately, repeated failed tests led to his dismissal from the program in 2012.

Despite the setback, Mathieu’s career rebounded in remarkable fashion. After being selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft, he emerged as one of the league’s premier defensive playmakers. 

Mathieu earned multiple Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections and became a key part of Kansas City’s secondary. He later won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs following the 2019 season, adding to a legacy defined as much by resilience as by talent.

More college football news: 

• SNL pokes fun at Michael Irvin's amped up Miami Hurricanes fandom
• Deion Sanders buyout, contract details as Colorado Buffaloes coach
• Jimmy Kimmel roasts Bill Belichick’s girlfriend over Hall of Fame debate
• Google changes Curt Cignetti search results following Indiana’s CFP title win
• Ex-Indiana QB fires back after portrayal in CBS 60 Minutes interview