The news of the Honey Badger's release hits hard for most LSU fans. Tyrann Mathieu had become a team favorite.
Fans are now wondering where the star player's officially going to go, and who's going to replace him. Most have faith that without him, the team will remain successful.
The bold, dynamic and sometimes controversial LSU football stand-out was poised to be one of the major stars in college football. But Mathieu's flamboyant reputation was tainted by exploits on and off the field.
"He's had numerous opportunities. When you're on the threshold of a potentially great NFL career, and you blow it all for whatever, you know, it does not make any sense. Most people don't get chances like that in a lifetime, and he's had numerous chances. He's the only person to blame," said high-profile LSU football booster and New Orleans business owner Mike Serio.
Serio was one of Mathieu's biggest fans. "I've like washed my hands. You know it's a shame, you give a kid all these breaks and stuff like that, cause he had trouble last year. He had trouble, and LSU can't be a 24-hour nanny, and you would think you would wake up," said Serio.
Mathieu was suspended for a game last year after failing a drug test. The Tigers also dealt with several other suspensions early last season, but nothing slowed them down until they lost the BCS championship game against Alabama.
"Last year we started with a bunch of controversy, so hopefully this doesn't taint the team for this year too," said LSU football fan Jean Hill.
"Last year, I was kind of disappointed they didn't go a little stricter for him. This year, he probably deserved it. I hate to say it, even though he was a strong player, our ranking might go down, just because we lose him," said Les Burl from Baton Rouge.
Mathieu has two years of eligibility left and could transfer, but he would have to sit out this season if he went to another school in major college football. If he moved down a level, to FCS, he could play right away.
"But who's going to pick him up?" asked LSU football fan Lemona Deal. "That's the first thing you're going to think about, who's going to pick him up?"
"I think he could have been a great asset to the team. He had a lot to learn, and I think he would have developed with the team, with the help and everything. I think they could have given him another chance," said Deborah Barnes.
Last November, we sat down with his uncle and aunt, Tyrone and Sheila Mathieu, who adopted and raised him. That interview came as they learned he had violated team rules.
"It was like being hit by a locomotive. It was like something you never thought would happen. It was a complete shock," said Sheila Mathieu.
"For both of us... We were quiet. He was confused, he was hurt and we just tried to listen to what he was saying," said Tyrone Mathieu during the November 2011 interview.
It was a moment the Mathieus feared might come, given all the attention and pressures that bombarded their then-19-year-old.
"We often talk about that, how much publicity they can take and it's like, okay, that's enough," said Sheila.
"Still a kid -- it's not an excuse, not an excuse -- but you know that he's still a kid, you know," said Tyrone.
Tiger fans say they're confident in a talented team of players this season. The Tigers open the 2012-2013 season at home Sept. 1 against North Texas. LSU opens SEC play on the road Sept. 22 at Auburn, and revisits its rivalry with Alabama on Nov. 3 in Death Valley.
