BATON ROUGE, La. – Heisman Trophy finalist Tyrann Mathieu was kicked off LSU’s football team Friday for breaking an athletic department rule, a blow to the Tigers’ national championship hopes 3 weeks before their season opener.

The junior defensive back – nicknamed Honey Badger for his tenacious style, small stature (5-foot-9, 175 pounds) and blonde streak of hair – rose from obscurity to become one of college football’s biggest stars last season.

He won the Bednarik Award as national defensive player of the year and was a sleeper Heisman candidate as the Tigers won the Southeastern Conference championship and reached the BCS title game. But almost as quickly as Mathieu rose to fame and became the face of LSU football, the Honey Badger phenomenon ended in Death Valley.