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Round of applause: Tyrann Mathieu met with Kansas City mayor to see how he can best help

Safety Tyrann Mathieu, now with the Kansas City Chiefs, has quietly become of the NFL’s best examples of how players can use their platform and, if they choose, time and money, for good.

Meeting with mayor

Mathieu recently met face-to-face with Kansas City Mayor Sly James to discuss how he can best help his new city.

We can’t say it’s a first, but it likely doesn’t happen often that a professional athlete reaches out directly to the mayor of the city in which he plays.

Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu met with the mayor of Kansas City this week to find out how he can best help the community. (Getty Images)
Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu met with the mayor of Kansas City this week to find out how he can best help the community. (Getty Images)

The 27-year-old has done what he could to impact the community in Phoenix, where he began his career with the Arizona Cardinals, and Houston, where he spent last season with the Texans, as well as his hometown of New Orleans and LSU, where he was an All-American.

“Coming from New Orleans, La., especially in the inner city, I think a lot of resources are restricted,” Mathieu told media after the meeting on Tuesday night. “A lot of opportunities aren’t really there. I think if more people can come in, and help kids out, I think it would do a great job adding confidence in their lives and really inspire them to be great people.”

“He recognizes that where much has been given, much is expected,” James said.

‘I will always be a source for people to come to’

Mathieu was considered something of a problem child coming out of LSU in 2013 – he’d been dismissed by the team for violation of team rules, reportedly multiple drug test failures.

On Oct. 25, 2012, he and two other Tigers players were arrested for marijuana possession, and Mathieu has said that one night in jail changed his life.

Clearly, those weren’t just words.

“I always told myself if I ever get to this position in my life, I will always be a source for people to come to, and I’m excited about it. I feel like I am the right guy for it,” Mathieu said. “I think it is important to embrace the community, especially the kids. I think the kids are our future and I think if enough people can step up and guide them in the right direction a lot more will be and want to be successful.”

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