Perhaps nothing could’ve prevented Tyrann Mathieu from falling prey to his vices and ultimately being arrested because of them. But there’s a certain love that goes along with the problematic culture of controversial athletic transfers from BCS to HBCU programs.

While it reinforces HBCUs as bailout or last-resort programs, transfer athletes do get the benefit of closer relationships and mentoring from an entire campus community, and not just the athletic community. While the Honey Badger may be resigned to carrying the burden of his mistakes, perhaps forever, its hard to avoid the ‘what if’ question surrounding how he may have improved his pro chances and his life by taking his talents to an HBCU.

Tyrann Mathieu