Former LSU player Tyrann Mathieu’s toddler years only brought turbulence. His biological father, Darrin Hayes, was incarcerated for robbery, and after being released from prison, he shot and reportedly killed a man the same day. Hayes was sentenced to life without parole, and a young Tyrann started living with his grandparents and, subsequently, his uncle, the only family Tyrann would ever know. But amid the distance of the prison walls, Hayes never stopped influencing his son. A week after his death, Tyrann now recounts his biological father’s tremendous impact on his life.

“I sort of went through life, just remember talking to him occasionally,” Tyrann said on March 19. “Sometimes it’d be once a week. Sometimes it’d be once a month, sometimes it’d be every six months. But every time he got on that phone with me. Man, did he try his best to pour into me. To sort of paint a picture for me that I was a much better man than he was. And I think that’s what he wanted me to be.

“Growing up in New Orleans, and your father is considered, I mean, for lack of better words, just a headhunter. People begin to think like that’s your destiny, and that’s who you will become. That wasn’t something he believed in; he didn’t believe that was a journey that I would take. Even though he wasn’t present, he played a huge role in sports. Just sort of keeping me out of the streets.”

After Tyrann’s father was incarcerated, his uncle, Tyrone, and his wife, Sheila, adopted him as their own son. Tyrann found his sports calling early and began dominating multiple sports. At his high school, he played both baseball and football, and at a baseball tournament in St. Francisville, near the State Prison, he finally met his biological dad for the first time.

“I remember him (Tyrone) looking at me like, ‘You want to go see your father?’ I’m like, yeah, of course,” Tyrann recounted. “It’s something about having a relative in prison. It was almost glorified. It was almost like a badge of honor. And for a while, that’s how I sort of looked at it, like a badge of honor. Until I actually went to prison. I saw the conditions that those guys were in, and my father was in. That was a reality check for me. This is not a place I would be.”

From then on, Tyrann started connecting with his biological father through phone calls or occasional visits. Throughout that time, Hayes pushed his son to follow greatness, and despite his incarceration, Tyrann always felt “proud” to be in his dad’s presence. It not only helped Tyrann focus more on becoming a better sportsperson but also emerged as one of the top defensive back prospects in the state of Louisiana. The rest is, of course, history.

Now, upon his father’s passing, Tyrann remembered him fondly.

“My dad passed away peacefully today. He was comfortable and surrounded by loved ones,” Tyrann said. I will keep you updated, but as of now, I need a few days. Thanks for all the love and prayers. Long Live cornbread, my dad!”

As for the phone calls from behind prison walls? Those worked. On the football field at LSU, Tyrann became the man his father had always prophesied. He became a player who defied every expectation. He was doing exactly what his father had quietly begged him to do from a prison phone: outrun the destiny that New Orleans had written for him.

But the streets have a long reach, and before Tyrann could fully escape their shadow, one decision dragged him back toward the edge. Arrested for marijuana possession and dismissed by LSU head coach Les Miles for repeated violations of the team’s substance abuse policy, Tyrann watched his draft stock free-fall. And, for a moment, the future his father had spoken into existence felt like it was slipping away.

Tyrann Mathieu opens up on becoming more focused after his arrest and suspension

At the 2013 Scouting Combine, all Tyrann did was navigate a plethora of interviews and conversations with NFL teams. He had to explain why he smoked so much marijuana, why he was arrested, and why teams should trust him now after a year away from football. Cardinals eventually trusted him, but only after 16 teams passed on him twice and 10 skipped him thrice.

The rookie contract wasn’t illustrious either; it was back-loaded, deferring his signing bonus to the last three years of his deal. Taking lessons from his father’s incarceration, Tyrann vowed to stay out of trouble and work hard to earn his place.

“I just didn’t do a lot of stuff,” Tyrann said to ESPN. “I didn’t go to a lot of places. And I didn’t put myself in situations because I didn’t think I could really handle it. Other people were being them, and I was just being me. I try to hold on to that the most because, to me, that’s what’s so easy to lose, is yourself. Now, I’m cool. Temptation is what it is. I think my mind’s a little bit stronger.”

Just like that, suppressing those temptations and working day in and day out, Mathieu became a Super Bowl winner later at the Kansas City Chiefs and a 3-time Pro Bowler.  When that ‘back-loaded’ expired, the Cardinals handed him a $62.5 million contract. This time, his $15.5 million signing bonus came right away, and he later earned a $42 million 3-year contract with the Chiefs in 2019. As for his LSU legacy?

LSU players’ lounge is now named ‘Mathieu Player’s Lounge after he donated $1 million. Tyrann acknowledges the role LSU played fondly despite the suspension. Now retired, Tyrann recognizes the shortcomings of his biological father and wants to be a consistent presence for his kids. “I want to be present for my kids, and my biological father wasn’t present for me,” Tyrann said.