Kansas City Chiefs RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif’s decision to opt-out of the 2020 NFL season is being recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Duvernay-Tardif became the first NFL player to opt-out of the 2020 season. Instead of playing this season, Duvernay-Tardif chose to utilize his medical degree, staying home in Canada while working as an orderly at a long-term care facility on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. This came just months after he became a Super Bowl champion, starting at right guard for the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.
“If I am to take risks, I will do it caring for patients,” Duvernay-Tardif famously wrote in his opt-out decision.
Now, Duvernay-Tardif’s bravery is being recognized with a display in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Both his medical scrubs and lab coat are now displayed in the Pro Football Today Gallery, including a brief exhibit on his opt-out decision.
Check it out:
Newest artifacts to arrive at The Hall: medical scrubs & lab coat of @LaurentDTardif.
The starting OG for the @Chiefs in #SuperBowl LIV, he stepped away from his football career this season to utilize his doctorate in medicine to help fight the COVID pandemic.#ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/1wOIxiXBU1
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) November 14, 2020
A sixth-round pick by the Chiefs back in 2014, has started 63 games at right guard since 2015. Back in 2018, Duvernay-Tardif earned his doctorate of medicine from McGill University in Montreal. He became the first active NFL player to simultaneously play and hold a medical doctorate.
Perhaps when Duvernay-Tardif eventually suits up in the NFL again, the league will reconsider their stance on allowing him to have “M.D.” etched on the back of his jersey. At the very least, we know that he’s being celebrated by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and will be recognized in NFL history for his selfless decision to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
