TEMPE, Ariz. -- The man we see today, with the blond streak down the center of his head, with the wide, toothy smile and an NFL jersey covering a tattooed torso rebuilt with muscle, isn't the same man who sat in a prison cell in East Baton Rouge Parish, La., for a night a little more than a year ago.

That night changed Tyrann Mathieu's life.

He thought he had lost football and decided he didn't want to be a garbage man for the rest of his life. While looking at the others in the cell with him, he saw how far he'd fallen. Just 11 months earlier, Mathieu had been at the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

But to go from that jail cell to making a hard case to be the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year as a safety for the Arizona Cardinals, you must look at that night -- Oct. 25, 2012 -- as the turning point.

Childhood leader

Growing up in East New Orleans, two miles from Lake Pontchartrain, in a neighborhood that loves its parks and its football, Mathieu was a quiet, well-mannered kid. He went through private school without any discipline problems, said his mother, Sheila.

Sheila saw her son's talent at age 5, when she and her husband, Tyrone, adopted little Tyrann from his birth mother, Tyra, who is Tyrone's sister. In the parks, he was a magnet for friends, and not just because he was always the best athlete.

"He's just a people person, especially when he goes on a team," Sheila said. "If they need a king, the kids gonna tell you it's gonna be Tyrann.

"They're going to gravitate to him."

Kings rule New Orleans, especially in Mardi Gras season, as they lead krewes on parades throughout the streets of the Crescent City, tossing beads. In 2009, Tyrone was voted King Zulu of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, and Sheila was his queen. The two are friendly, hardworking people who raised five kids -- three of their own and two adopted. Sheila is a nurse at a hospice facility and Tyrone a UPS driver in the French Quarter.

But, five years before Tyrone's honor, Tyrann was king.

At 12, Tyrann was named king of Willie Hall Playground and led a parade of his football teammates and a jazz band around the neighborhood while wearing a stark white duck-tail tuxedo.

"He knew how to act royally," Tyrone said.

Tyrann was 13 when Hurricane Katrina hit. His family left New Orleans for Baton Rouge, normally a 90-minute drive, but it took eight hours. They spent two weeks in Alexandria, La., before relocating to Texas for a few months.

He watched as his family decided to stay in New Orleans and rebuild after 4½ feet of water took over their living room and kitchen. Tyrann learned what it took to be resilient, to come back and rebuild a life. As a kid and then in high school, no one saw any signs of Tyrann's future troubles. He loved attention, said Del Lee, Tyrann's defensive backs coach at St. Augustine High School, but most teenagers do. Tyrann wasn't highly recruited, but Lee knew his star defensive back would be good.

He couldn't have guessed what else would happen.

On to LSU, stardom

During Tyrann's freshman year at LSU, he didn't have to deal with the pressures of playing in the Southeastern Conference. He learned behind his mentors, Patrick Peterson and Morris Claiborne, while growing on the field.

When Peterson left for the NFL, Tyrann assumed a bigger role in the Tigers' secondary as a sophomore. His ball-hawking skills and quickness made him a star.

But with every interception, fumble recovery and tweet came another microphone, another camera. It didn't help that fans labeled Tyrann the Honey Badger, after a small animal that looks like a weasel but fiercely defends its turf in the wild.

Tyrann Mathieu's athletic ability was recognized by his mother as early as age 5. Courtesy of Tyrone Mathieu

Before he knew it, Tyrann was a bona fide SEC superstar on a national championship-caliber team, the LSU world his Louisiana oyster. He had everything he could want: women, parties, fame.

But he couldn't handle it.

"It's something you always dream about," Tyrann said of the lifestyle. "Of course, I expected to be a star -- a superstar -- at an elite college. But I never really took the time to think about the distractions, all of the things outside of playing football. I didn't really have a plan going into it. It definitely distracted me and the temptation, obviously the smoking marijuana, other things, too, of course you desire to do those things.

"I just wasn't mature at the time."

Marijuana was his escape from the pressures, which became insurmountable, he said, as the Tigers got better.

Fallout of failed tests

The sun was still an hour from rising over Baton Rouge when Tyrann's career as an All-American cornerback ended during a meeting with LSU coach Les Miles at 5:30 a.m. on Aug. 10, 2012. Two hours later, Mathieu called his father, who hadn't yet started his UPS route.

As the speculation mounted, the truth emerged: Tyrann had failed multiple drug tests at LSU.

After the initial waves of disappointment, sadness and devastation settled, Tyrone woke up his oldest son, Tyrone Jr., and the two went to pick up Tyrann. The drive was quiet and somber, almost like someone had died, Tyrone said.

Tyrann already had started taking pictures off the walls and packing boxes when his father and brother arrived to take him home. His teammates were there, supporting their best player, mourning a season that was over before it started.

"It wasn't like the drives I'm used to," Tyrann said. "I mean, it was embarrassing.

"Usually, I'm getting praised or telling me how good of a game I had or stuff like that. That drive was quiet. You could feel the tension. You could feel the disappointment in the car. At that time, I was disappointed in myself because I always wanted to be a star. I always wanted to be a leader, but I never had a plan."