Tyrann Mathieu: Football is my priority, marijuana use is 'obsolete now'

Tyrann Mathieu said he has put his drug use behind him. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Former LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu said Thursday morning on NFL Network that he no longer considers his history of drug use to be a priority over football.

Nicknamed the "Honey Badger" in college, Mathieu made the comments before the NFL Draft kicks off at the end of April. He declared for the Draft in November after being dismissed by the Tigers in August because he failed a drug test. He had entered a drug rehab program following his dismissal, but was arrested for marijuana possession a few months later in October.  Bo Bahnsen, the Athletic Director for the school, said following his dismissal that Mathieu is "permanently ineligible" from playing at LSU again.

The 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist said on Thursday morning that quitting has been a "big struggle" but insists he has moved past it:

“All the things I put before football in the past, it’s not fun anymore — marijuana and everything you put before football is obsolete now."

In a recap of the interview from ProFootballTalk.com, Mathieu said the biggest concern NFL coaches had with him at the Scouting Combine in February was the reason he got kicked out of school. He said everyone knows what he did, but he thinks NFL officials wanted to see how honest he would be when confronted by them about the situation:

“It probably was, ‘Why did you get kicked out of school?’ which I think they already knew but I think they want to hear you say it."