Countless athletes throughout history have attempted to beat drug tests with a variety of strategies. Tyrann Mathieu is one of the few who can say that he nearly died from his attempt.
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The former three-time NFL All-Pro revealed on his podcast, "In the Bayou with Tyrann Mathieu," that he once drank bleach while attempting to beat a drug test at LSU. It went very poorly for him.
"Listen to me, bro. I done tried everything in the books," Mathieu said when asked if he had ever used someone else's urine to pass a test. "I've used other people urine. They got the fake penises.
"I remember one time, I'll tell you a funny story — not funny I could have died — but a couple tests before I realized they was gonna kick me out of school, I'm sitting in a circle, and I'm on Google trying to figure out, 'Man, how the f—- do I pass this test?' These folks keep threatening me, right?
"I'm just scrolling, and I come across some s—- that said just put some bleach in the top (the soda bottle cap). Put a little bleach in the top, and put it in your Coca-Cola. And so I did that, and I'm like, 'Yo what the f—-.' It felt like my whole insides were just like erupting. I end up throwing that s—- up and at that point I'm like, 'F—- it, I've run out of tricks.'"
Tyrann Mathieu almost died trying to pass a drug test at LSU 😳
“It felt like my whole insides were erupting… at that point I was like, ‘f*ck it, I’ve run out of tricks.’” pic.twitter.com/qxvijVWnqb
— In The Bayou With Tyrann Mathieu (@InTheBayouPod) January 29, 2026
Based on the timeline of this story, the infamous bleak drinking incident occurred in 2012. Now-former LSU head coach Les Miles dismissed Mathieu from the football program for violations of the team rules. The reports at the time said Mathieu had repeated drug test failures. Now, he has confirmed those reports with his story.
Of course, this dismissal did not keep Mathieu from making his way to the NFL. It just made him fall in the NFL Draft and cost him some money early in his career.
He ultimately landed with the Arizona Cardinals as a third-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, and he kicked off a 12-year career.
The New Orleans native spent five seasons with the Cardinals, one with the Texans, three with the Chiefs, and three with the hometown Saints. He posted 36 interceptions, seven forced fumbles, 11 sacks, and 838 combined tackles. He earned three trips to the Pro Bowl, earned three First-Team All-Pro nominations, and won a Super Bowl.
