In February, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif won America’s biggest sporting event, the Super Bowl, with the Kansas City Chiefs. But rather than spend the offseason getting ready to defend the Super Bowl title, the football player has been on the front lines of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, defending the lives of people in his hometown of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec.
Now as the NFL season approaches once more, Duvernay-Tardif has elected to opt out of the upcoming season in order to continue the fight against the coronavirus. In a social media post, the athlete stated that if he is going to take any health risks, it will be to help patients.
Duvernay-Tardif is no ordinary athlete. The starting right guard earned a medical degree from McGill University and has been working to fulfill his requirements to become a doctor in the off-season. Currently, he is the only active NFL player who doubles as a physician.
“Being on the frontline during this offseason has given me a different perspective on this pandemic and the stress it puts on individuals and our healthcare system. I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus in our communities simply to play the sport that I love.”
Bravo Laurent!
