Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has been recognized for his decision to opt out of the 2020 NFL season to help fight the global COVID-19 pandemic.
On Saturday evening, Duvernay-Tardif was named the recipient of the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award at the 2021 ESPYs. Renamed to honor Muhammad Ali in 2017, the award seeks to recognize an athlete who has a positive impact on their community through sports and leadership.
Duvernay-Tardif was nominated because of the immense personal risk to his health and football career that he took last year. He opted out of the NFL season to use his medical degree, becoming an orderly in the very early stages of the pandemic at a long-term care facility near his hometown outside of Montreal, Quebec.
"My role wasn't to play football, but instead to be on the front lines of the global pandemic."
Chiefs OL Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is the winner of the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award. pic.twitter.com/sixNjJ2iuZ
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) July 11, 2021
Duvernay-Tardif earned a $25,000 grant to a charity of his choice just by being a finalist for this ESPYs award. Now that he’s won the award he’ll receive an additional $100,000 donation to a charitable cause of his choosing, possibly the Laurent Duvernay-Tardif foundation, which encourages physical activity and creativity in children.
Nominees for the 2021 award included Chicago Cubs’ first baseman Anthony Rizzo, Minnesota Lynx guard Layshia Clarendon, and WWE wrestler Titus O’Neil. Duvernay-Tardif joins previous winners such as MLB star Nelson Cruz, NBA star Kevin Durant and former Eagles DE Chris Long.
