The Honey Badger may have to spend some more time off the field this week. We expect the SEC offices will come down with a half-game suspension on LSU’s talented cornerback Tyrann Mathieu for the unnecessary clothesline that he delivered to Alabama’s Dre Kirkpatrick during a punt return on Saturday night.
Mathieu was flagged 15 yards for the penalty. Kirkpatrick was knocked out of the game.
In recent weeks the SEC has handed out half-game suspensions — as well as one full-game suspension — for dirty shots at knees and helmet-first blows to defenseless receivers. We fully anticipate Mathieu will be given similar discipline for:
1) Blindsiding an opponent with a clothesline shot from his right arm
2) Doing so in the SEC’s showcase came which was witnessed by millions upon millions of people
You can be sure Mike Slive wasn’t thrilled that the league’s classic matchup was marred by such a dumb, dirty play.
“S/O to Dre didn’t mean to do what I did but it’s a technique that we practice, you were just tall as hell and fast you kno what! Goodluck”
He also tweeted the following just before the apology:
“You can call me what you wanna call me!! I play in between the whistle and I’m sorry if I’m a little more intense than other players! #1
I get trash talked. Spitted on, cursed at.. So not I hope you understand why I play BIG BOY FOOTBALL”
Last week we wrote that Arkansas’ Marquel Wade deserved a full-game suspension for his helmet-to-helmet cheap shot on Vanderbilt punt returner Jonathan Krause. The response from a few Hog fans was not surprising — “you’re picking on Arkansas,” “his hit wasn’t dirty,” “you’re wrong to think he’ll be suspended.”
We expect to get a few of those emails from LSU fans, too. But Mathieu’s hit was dirty. And when everyone but a player’s own fanbase thinks a hit is dirty, that should cause all of those people in that fanbase to wonder if they’re just being biased in favor of their guy.
That said, we believe that by Wednesday Mathieu will receive his sentence and he’ll be left on the bench for the first half of the Tigers’ next game with Western Kentucky. (And he may get a full-game suspension depending on how angry Slive was over the negative PR factor.)
Slive and the SEC office have set a precedent with blindside, dangerous shots to defenseless players. If they don’t penalize Mathieu, there will be a lot of questions coming from other corners of the conference.
to gumborue, IT WAS A CLOTHESLINE, and he knew it, it was obvious by the way he held out his arms! And I guess by now, we all see how much class and integrity Les Miles has, thug Mathieu is still in. Guess if you want a win bad enough, integrity goes out the window. And if that's a play his coaches taught him, shame on them. They should all have consequences, including the refs. Whether it was against Alabama, Auburn, Ark. whoever!! When every fan base except LSU's thinks he's a dirty player, that should tell you something!! FSU/FL game, player was ejected for a hit that was clearly accidental! Wonder how loud LSU fans would scream if that kind of move was made on Mathieu or any other LSU player???
Has anyone taken a look at the video in slow motion....this is absolutely ridiculous...the only contact that took place was Tyrann Matheiu's hand to the shoulder clef of the shoulder pad....The CBS sportscasters made many more bad comments than any actual contact that they thought took place...I beg you to review if any real contact such as a clothesline hit or other contact that I mentioned took place...I truly beg to differ. Before you jump to conclusions....review
The talk of a half game suspension speaks volumes to me about the fundamental difference between the SEC and rest of the country. The fact that this article spends time seeming defending the notion that Mathieu should even get a half game suspension for a hit that i feel in the rest of the BCS would be a foregone conclusion that dude sits for a full game is extremely entertaining to me. Not saying right or wrong, just find it interesting is all.
Have most of you even looked at the play? He grabbed his right shoulder by the sleeve. He spun him around. The guy fell awkward and HIT HIS HEAD ON THE TURF. The crime was being over agressive when the play wasn't there. Grabbing the shoulder and spinning a guy is done all the time. The guy was past him and it was a stupid play, but it was holding just like the ref said. There is absolutely nothing to see as far as any suspension or the like. Give it a rest or at least post something that even backs up the premise of this blog.
looks like gutLes Miles is supporting Mathieu. So much for the image of class. When you intentionally injure an opponent you have opened Pandora's box. Should LSU's top players be targets? Worked for gutLes. Every play after they injured Kirkparick was aimed at his replacement. Mathieu isn't much of a corner, but wait till people chop block Montgomery or clip Claiborne in the same way. LSU wil SCREAM! Mathieu is a thug. Suspend him now.
Sounds like Alabama does not like their own medicine. There were a multitude of late hits that were not called on Alabama. I'm not happy with T's trash talking, there is no need for it. I think you should let you play speak for itself. I have heard every excuse under the sun as to why Alabama lost the game... Reid's interceptions should not have counted b/c the player was down...... Did your entire fan base forget '09 when LSU got robbed on an interception? It's sports and those are the breaks. It was a great game and we were the more complete team. Next year Alabama might win in Baton Rouge... You have no right to talk down Les Miles, he's a class act. LSU fans are very familiar with Nick Saban. I consider him a mercenary he will coach any team that's willing to pay for his services. If you think he plans on staying at Alabama you are foolish.
This thug should be prosecuted...not allowed to play football. If the next player who dominates him is hurt on the field intentionally by this loser...they should be allowed to haul the the SEC and the NCAA intop court for allowing him to continue. I hate people like him...yes hate is the right word. Someone will get him.
As an LSU alumn, I was embarrassed and disgusted by TM's cheap shot. The SEC shouldn't have to do anything. If Les Miles has any character, he should sit him down for a game or two.
SAD,SAD,SAD;the"apology" tweets revealed a tremendous need for educators in college.I have watched corporate dollars and BIG tv(ESPN is not without blame in this)tear down the character of pro ball,nascar,pbr,and families on"reality"tv,and now we invite them into our world of college ball.HEADS UP--HIGH SCHOOLS,your integrity is in their sights!!We hold cowards,thugs,and drugs to NO STANDARD.To all the punt returners and players with their backs turned;you should be reminded;when you are in their world,'KEEP YOUR HEAD UP--AND YOUR EYES OPEN!!!
I don't think any Arkansas fan thought you were picking on Arkansas. We just don't get why everyone made such a big deal out of Wade's hit. Can you tell me that it Wade's hit was worse then Mathieu's? If you can, then I have to wonder how, when it's obvious that Matthieu's hit was intentionally malicious, but Wade's was not.
And it wasn't just Arkansas fans who didn't get it. I heard fans from many schools say that too much was made out of it (note that I'm not saying that nothing was done wrong, but a full game suspension?) You even reported on Vandy's coach saying that he didn't think it deserved a suspension, so how can you not understand? If it was clear that Wade was intentionally malicious, then I think that would justify it a little more, but that was not clear, even though everyone acts as if it was.
I also want to add that I think the only reason Wade received a full game suspension was because the game's announcers made too much out of it and they felt compelled to act harshly.
Who cares Saban teaches his kids to take out QB's and he's done so during the Nat Championship game and again with Brantley. Honey Badger's hit was nothing. And to hear bama fans whine about it, is more sour grapes. They all sound like Al Gore circa 2000. Get over it., you'll get your rematch...Next year in Tiger Stadium at night! ;-)
Saban teaches his players to hurt QBs? If anyone at Bama was teaching players to hurt people then it would be pretty obvious. There is a different between getting hurt on a play and being directly injured by the actions of another player. Did you even see the '09 national championship game? Would you like to tell me what was cheap about the hit on Colt McCoy?
James, we might get one sooner than that. Now wouldn't that be something if "honey thug" got punked on the ultimate big stage. Your team is now the Miami of the SEC. Keep up the thug recruiting. You too will go down in flames like the rest of the programs that have gone the route of Miami, USC, and Ohio State. Your time will come. You can take the thug out the hood, but you can't take hood out the thug.
Just got back from drug related suspension then had a big interview on ESPN with Erin Andrews, and then praised about his "Honey badger" thing. It was as though he was untouchable. And then take that cheap shot. I say kick him to the curb.
If LSU offered my son a scholarship, I'd pay for college myself before letting him go there. If my son pulled some assault crap or failed a drug test, I'd sure want someone holding him accountable and not just looking the other way. And if my son ever did another human the way Tyrann did Dre', I'd expect his coach to bench him indefinitely. You are only as good as your character, and there is never any reason to deliberately physically hurt someone unless in self defense. That was not playing football. That was a disturbed kid that obviously cannot handle the pressure of playing football or his emotions. His size is not an excuse. If he's too small to play without the nastiness, he needs to go play baseball. As for the synthetic weed bing like O'Douls. If that was the case, kids wouldn't be risking their scolarships to do it.
Uh, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but college athletes are failing drub test all the time. Much of it has to do with this stuff that is sold at the gas station. Do you think LSU invented the things that hit the program in the last few months? I saw a list of Alabama suspensions going back to last year and it was many, many times longer than LSUs. What do you think most of the players all over the place who are suspended for one game for "breaking team rules" did? Most of them did the same thing as the LSU players, or maybe smoked real weed. This post just shows that you don't know what you're talking about. As far as the play, I posted my comments already. It was a dumb penalty and nothing more. LOOK AT THE VIDEO! It was holding like the ref said. He pulled him around by his right shoulder and he fell awkwardly and HIT HIS HEAD ON THE GROUND. There was no clothsline or hit with the arm or hand. Good grief people.
It is obvious that #7 is more concern with making a highlight film that helping his team pursue a National Championship title. Coach Miles had better take note of what happened to Coach Bowden’s program at FSU when you recruit and coddle players with little to no concern of team success, the program implodes. If Coach Miles endorses the technique (per Mathieu’s tweet) of chopping a player across the neck, grabbing the shoulder and pulling them down when they out hustles you, then he too should receive sanctions from the SEC. I am a huge College Football Fan, Auburn Alumni, and enjoyed the heck out of watching two great defensive teams battle Saturday night, however the action of one player will likely diminish the efforts of the other players. I will applaud what ever sanction the SEC hands down, however I also hope that Coach Miles sends a message and does not wait for the SEC to send a message.
The big question? It was a holding call and LSU retained the ball, if it had been a personal foul, would Alabama have retained the ball? Could have been a game changer??
Not 100% sure,but I don't think possession would have been returned to AL, because the penalty occured during the return,therefore possession had already changed.
mathieu should have been ejected for that crap! It is digusting to think that a football player would lower themselves to something like that. I truly hope the SEC responds in the appropriate way...suspension for the season! Also, LSU needs to revoke this thug's scholarship. Sorry, I know that's harsh but what he did was inexcuseable. By the way, I am neither an LSU fan OR an Alabama fan...but as a football fan what i saw makes me sick!
Wow ... so many people know so much about what was going on in Mathieu's mind. I'm an LSU fan and one of very many who agree the kid should be suspended for at least a game. But to read the vitriole about how Les Miles coaches the players to play dirty is total b.s. If there were any truth to that do you think he would still be on any sideline? And to the person who says Dre K is a role-model, the word on the street is that he runs Mathieu a close battle in the trash talk department. But I guess role model's can trash talk all they want. Mathieu is a talented kid who until the synthetic marijuana incident (roughly the same as drinking an O'Douls) had no behavior issues. He made a bad decision. So do the DE's that go helmet on helmet. And the linemen who chop block. Thug U? Get your heads in the game guys. He's a young man who erred. As for the Miles' comments, remember, we knew Saban before we knew Miles. Both are great coaches. One is pretty much considered a jerk and the other is a class act. If you don't know who that is, ask around.
Last time I checked, trash talking isn't illegal. I don't particularly like trash talk, but it's a part of the game. Cheap shots are not a part of the game so I don't really see how you can compare Mathieu to DreK here. Who criticized Matheiu or anyone else for trash talking? No one.
And quite honestly neither one of us know Miles or Saban personally. We don't know if they are both class acts or both jerks. Just because Saban gets pissed at the media doesn't make him a jerk.
He should have been ejected from the game. It sounded like he was taught to play that was by his coaches and was proud of it. That has no place in the game. If hitting a defenseless player trying to field a punt is cause for ejection, that play should be also. It wasn't called that way because it was LSU and not a nobody team. The SEC wants to do everything that it can to protect its royalty, that it has crowned, like LSU and Alabama. None of the other SEC teams get those kinds of breaks. Shameful.
What #7 did he did on purpose. He's a bad representative & owes appologies to Dre, the fans, the younger kids watching the game, the SEC and NCAA. -- heartfelt & stronger apologies than the lousy comments thus far: "it’s a technique that we practice, I’m a little more intense than other players; I play BIG BOY FOOTBALL" . All of that is childish jiberish. Ignorance is bliss, right #7? <<NCAA needs to make a statement>> KICK HIIM OUT!! We're better of without him. = DRE K., we love & appreciate you, man... you're a role-model,- forget #7 and ROLLTIDE, Baby.
Mathieu got beat by Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick is faster, and blew by Mathieu. Mathieu could not stand it, and resorted to an illegal and dirty move. If Les Miles had any class, he would have pulled him from the game on the spot, and impose his own penalty. Mathieu just came off a 1-game penalty. It looks like Mathieu has a history of not being able to act like he can be on the spotlight in the SEC as a #1 team. Les Miles should get control of this situation. It looked ugly for LSU: MILLIONS of people were watching on the biggest stage!
CORRECTION: NOT 15YRD PENALTY! The ball was caught on the 9 and ran to the 40. The penalty was half the distance from the end of the kick... 4.5yrd. --- NEITHER the 4.5yrds or a 'half game' suspension is adequate nor equal the justice... just ask Dre K. today & tomorrow.- Lou C. says it best, there is "character" & there is "characters", the difference is in the 'S". #7 is from within the 'S' group; Dre from the other.
IMO, the officials should be reprimanded for calling a "holding" penalty when it was clearly a personal foul. Mathieu should be penalized but so should the official who called holding on the play.
Massive LSU fan and Mathieu's hit deserves a suspension. I don't think he did it to hurt Kirkpatrick, I think he was playing hard and fast, hooked the gunner to break beckhma free. Kirkpatrick is just taller and faster than Mathieu was expecting and unfortunately Kirkpatrick fell the wrong way and had to leave with dizziness.
There is a wreckless abandon with Mathieu and he deosn't dial it back at any time between whistles. This won't be his last suspension, but to be honest, when you are 5'9 180 playing on an SEC defense you better be overly aggresisve or you don't see the field.
Bad decision by Mathieu and he will sit a half or a game. Action/consequence and he'lll be back on the field the follwoing game playing just as intense.
5'9, your being charitable. Everything else I agree with. LSU fan and B.R. native. TM grabbed him by the front of the pad and spun him around. I don't call that a clothesline. I call it a stupid hold and not a dirty one. Linemen hold all the time. They just don't, and can't, do it at such speeds. I think if a player does something that hurts a player like that he sits down. I certainly hope Kirkpatrick is up to full speed soon. P.S. I think Les needs to close all twitter and FB accounts during football season.
According to Tom Ritter, he was not flagged 15 yards. It was half the distance to the goal line. The call was "Holding" which is never a 15 yard penalty. It's not a personal foul.
"And when everyone but a player’s own fanbase thinks a hit is dirty, that should cause all of those people in that fanbase to wonder if they’re just being biased in favor of their guy."
Argumentum ad populum: a fallacious argument that concludes a proposition to be true because many or most people believe it; it alleges: "If many believe so, it is so." A.K.A. "appeal to the masses.
Nice argument, but you totally miss the point. If the world sees things one way, but the fans of a player see it another, it's pretty darn likely that the fans are just being biased.
The thing no one has picked up on in that tweet is "that is a technique we work on." Grabbing a guys neck and slinging him to the ground is a practice routine that is "worked on". I have serious problems with that. Bama fan here. LSU played a sound game for the most part and won the game between the lines. Congrats to your team and fanbase. But practicing that kind of "technique" is just wrong on so many levels. Let's just play good, hardnosed, clean football without all the trash talk and dirty play. Maybe we will meet agin this year, maybe not. I would hate to see what has become a great rivalry turn into a thugfest. Roll tide!
Has anyone taken a look at the video in slow motion....this is absolutely ridiculous...the only contact that took place was Tyrann Matheiu's hand to the shoulder clef of the shoulder pad....The CBS sportscasters made many more bad comments than any actual contact that they thought took place...I beg you to review if any real contact such as a clothesline hit or other contact that I mentioned took place...I truly beg to differ. Before you jump to conclusions....review it again
The technique is to get in front of the shoulder, not to grab him and spin him around. He messed up and did it wrong. He apologized. He may sit out a game or at least a half. Cheap shots are not "worked on." This is a big boy sport and sometimes players get carried away. Even Bama gets flags for cheap shots, so be careful with those stones you are throwing.
Don't mean to be nit-picking Ryan, but I was just quoting what the player said. if I misunderstood the "technique" I am sorry. I know about big boy football. It was played on both sides of the ball Saturday night. It takes discipline to not get "carried away" and I am not sure the player in question has enough to stay out of trouble on or off the field. He is a tremendous player and deserves admiration for being out there with the size disadvantages he has. But, that should not give him an reason to play without rules. If it does, it could cost his team one day and that would be sad given the talent on the LSU team. I'm not trying to be a "homer" here. I know it goes both ways. I was not throwing any stones, just making a comment based on what I read. If that offended you, I apologize.
If the "technique" was incorrect then why the necessity to throw Kirkpatrick to the ground? Is that a part of the "technique" too.
This mess about "technique" is just an excuse. I would be highly surprised if anyone at LSU is teaching a technique that resembles what Mathieu did the other night. He just can't admit he did anything wrong.....
He puposely tried to get an arm on his chest as to not hold or clip. This happens on every single play in the O-line. He grabbed instead of doing it with a closed fist, as the play is practiced. TM7 spun Dre around. Dre hit his head on the ground, not because TM7 did anything outrageous.
Big boy football doesn't involve sneaking up from behind with illegal hits. Big boy football in head-on, not a sucker punch. LSU plays big boy football, but be honest, this was as cheap a shot as you will see. Suspension or approval are Les's only options. If the hype about Les's class is true, Tyrann will sit. If not, it's Thug U all over
LSU is taught to play rough and dirty , thats how they like it. It's a direct reflection of head coach Miles. The players will tell you thats how they practice and play. The shot on Dre was dirty, most people who watched it agree. Did it change the outcome of the game....probably not. He will be punished somehow but it wont stop the way he or teamates play. It will catch up with them before the seasons over. It's about personal integrity and understanding sportsmanship and fair play. Something that Alabama has been teaching and practicing for some time.
Paul, I personally don't have a problem with Honey's "dirty" play, nor am I clear as to why so many people do. I saw many Tiger players getting shoved, crushed, dragged and thrown by significantly bigger, heavier Bama players. I was disturbed by it, but I'm not personally offended with the Bama team and/or their coach. It's part of the game, players get tossed and sometimes hurt.
What exactly are the Tigers supposed to do to satisfy Bama? Love tap those bigger players and let them shove the Tigers around all over the field? Let's get real. The Tigers played Bama and they played to win. Both teams did. Both teams could have been gentler about it. They weren't.
I agree. It's the least suspension-worthy play I think I've ever seen. He hit the guy in the shoulder and knocked him off balance so he landed awkwardly. He didn't punch the guy in the groin area or spin his facemask around. This outrage makes no sense. It's football for crying out loud.
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