Saints' Tyrann Mathieu reveals lessons he's learned from Deion Sanders

Tyrann Mathieu has gone from troubled prospect to having a long, prosperous NFL career, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.

The former Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans safety is entering another season with the New Orleans Saints, and before he gets into the rigors of another campaign, he stopped by The Rich Eisen Show to drop some knowledge. Specifically, he recalled some conversations he’s had over his career with NFL legend and current Colorado Buffaloes leader, Deion Sanders.

“I remember Deion visited me when I was in Florida, training with Patrick Peterson, and you know, he was always in support of me,” explained the NFL veteran. “He was always encouraging. He would always give me these words of advice, to stay focused and stay committed to football, and obviously keep God first, and you know, it’s probably best to keep great people around you.

“I was always thankful for Deion, and all the encouraging words he gave me, and he still gives me to this day.”

For anyone that thinks Sanders is putting on an act when you hear him speak, Mathieu wants you to know you’re wrong, as he’s more than grateful for Sanders’ tutelage.

“He’s always been that kind of person,” added Mathieu. “Obviously he’s self-motivated, and I think we all kind of know that from his playing days. You know, he always believes in himself, and his abilities and what he can do, but I was always grateful, because he always tried to pour that into me.

“So you know, always was grateful to kind of hear his voice, and like I said, still to this day, he’s one of those encouraging voices in my ear.”

Alas, Mathieu doesn’t even want to know where he’d be without Sanders taking the time to speak with him, as it changed everything for his football career.

“I’d probably say Deion, and along with Patrick Peterson, I thank both of those guys, because I thought they really knew me,” added the Saints veteran. “Where as on the outside, I think a lot of people can get caught up in the moniker, you know, ‘The Honey Badger’ and all that. Maybe they saw me tweet something on Twitter, or they saw me play in a game, and they formed their own perspective of me, where as with those two guys, we’ve had a lot of conversations. We’ve been through a lot of dinners together. We’ve shared a lot of family space.

“So he definitely knew like, the real Tyrann. I think that was encouraging for him, to keep trying to motivate me.”

Deion Sanders is a fan of Tyrann Mathieu, and you can bet Mathieu is a fan of Sanders. As Coach Prime looks to rebuild Colorado from the ground up, it seems as if the Buffaloes have a good one at the helm.