Last week, it appeared that LSU coach Les Miles did the right thing in kicking Tryrann Mathieu off the football team.

Suspended last year for the catch-all “violation of team rules,” Mathieu ran afoul of them again and the Tiger braintrust finally ran out of patience. Several outlets reported that Mathieu failed another drug test.

But now, an opening is appearing to crack for the “Honey Badger,” who won the Bednarik Trophy as the nation’s best defensive player and was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2011. Miles told The Associated Press Tuesday that Mathieu wouldn’t be a part of the 2012 squad, but that he had no idea beyond that.

If he does come back in 2013, it’d be a huge mistake.

To the LSU players who play by the rules set down by Miles and his coaching staff and the university, it would be an insult and a travesty. Why should there be one set of rules for the stars and another for the rest of the team? LSU’s team chemistry would go from benign to explosive quicker than Mathieu’s Twitter feed.

Miles’ ability to lead his team would be rightly called into question by his charges.

But what is LSU losing in the deal? While he was a stellar playmaker and a highlight reel waiting to happen, Mathieu’s inability to function within the confines of team rules is troubling.

And it’s not like LSU doesn’t have some other speedy playmaker just waiting for an opportunity to make a difference in the defensive backfield.

Let’s be honest, the Honey Badger is no more a cover corner than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is gourmet cuisine. Calling him a cornerback really didn’t describe what he did for LSU’s stellar defense. Last year, he was a playmaker at critical spots, both with his amazing ability to force turnovers and his electric performances returning punts and kickoffs. He was the kind of guy you could line up all over the place — like the Green Bay Packers do with former Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson — and just let him make plays.

But likely, he’ll be doing that in the Football Championship Subdivision and hopefully, he would’ve learned a lesson in the process as he goes from playing in front of 92,400 at Tiger Stadium to less than half.

You could form a great college team with the talent that has left SEC rosters lately. Former Auburn running Michael Dyer was dismissed from his second landing spot at Arkansas State without playing a down and is possibly headed to his third chance at Prairie View. Former Georgia running back Isaiah Crowell, who was 2011 SEC Freshman of the Year, is at another Southwestern Athletic Conference school, Alabama State. Georgia booted him from the team after a June arrest on weapons and drug charges.

While fans dwell on the numbers, the silver lining of this cloud of antisocial behavior is that coaches aren’t putting their teams above a star player or two. Call it addition by subtraction.

Let’s just hope Miles sticks to his instincts.

•

Steve Wilson is sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. You can follow him on Twitter at vpsportseditor. He can be reached at 601-636-4545, ext. 142 or at swilson@vicksburgpost.com.