Chiefs lineman shows good ol’ Canadian grit

Duvernay-tardif to play in AFC title game after coming back from serious injury

Laurent Duvernay-tardif didn’t need his physician’s degree to realize he had suffered a serious leg injury in an Oct. 7 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“I knew something was broken, because I heard it,” the Chiefs right guard said Wednesday at the team’s training facility.

As painful as that sound and injury were for the product of Saint-hilaire, Que., learning Tuesday that he was being activated for Sunday’s AFC Championship Game was music to his ears.

That means “Larry,” as he’s known around Arrowhead Stadium, should be hearing some familiar sounds from the crowd when his team takes on the New England Patriots.

First, when asked about the amount of support he’s received from his homeland since he joined the Chiefs as a sixthround pick in 2014, the six-footfive, 321-pounder lit up.

“A lot, a lot,” said Duvernay-tardif. “Whether it’s the fans, the French community back in Montreal. NFL Canada is also really helping me. It feels awesome when the Chiefs post something on their Instagram about you being back and a bunch of comments are in French in the comment section. You’re like, oh my God, this is awesome.

“I feel like people from home are watching, and for sure it helped me to push myself even more to try to get back as fast as possible, and compete and help the team win.”

So a lot of people travel down from Canada to see you play?

“Every week,” he said. “I think in the past five years there’s not a single game when I didn’t hear somebody speak French in the stands, yell out my name. Friends or family or people with the (Laurent Duvernay-tardif ) foundation or different events we’re organizing. I’ve been really lucky to have that support through the good years and through the years we didn’t win as much.”

His foundation promotes the importance to students of having a balance between studies and sports.

Duvernay-tardif was actually more focused on the former than the latter when he grew up. He played football as a kid, but not in high school, and when he arrived at Mcgill University, he was more determined to become a doctor than a football player.

While achieving his degree, he did enough with the Redmen that he was viewed as the top prospect heading into the 2014 CFL draft. But playing in the Eastwest Shrine game, he also caught the attention of NFL teams. He was selected in the third round by the Calgary Stampeders just in case things didn’t work out for him in the NFL. Since becoming a sixth-round pick of the Chiefs, he has developed into one of the best guards in the game.

In 2017, he was signed to a fiveyear, Us$42.36-million contract that included a $20.2-million guarantee and a $10-million signing bonus.

Duvernay-tardif, meanwhile, has maintained that balance in his life. He sailed the east coast in a boat crafted by his family. As a third-year medical student, he cared for prematurely born twins. He worked as a feature reporter for the CBC during the 2018 Winter Olympics.

He tried to get M.D. at the end of the nameplate on his Chiefs jersey.

“I think that’s old news. I’m past that,” he said. “I didn’t know it was going to make that big of a story.”

In stories written about him, Duvernay-tardif has been called the most interesting man in the NFL.

“I try not to read the newspapers too much because it’s easy to let your ego build up,” he said. “At the end of the day you’ve got to block the guy in front of you every week. That’s a challenge in itself, so you’ve got to focus on what’s real, and what’s in front of you, literally.

“That’s what I try to do, and then for all the bigger projects and stuff, that’s what the off-season is for.”

For now, he’s just preparing for the biggest game of his career. One win from the Super Bowl.

What role he will have against the Patriots is unclear, at least to the media, which was restricted from seeing the reps at Wednesday’s practice. During Duvernay-tardif’s injury, Andrew Wylie filled in and was named the team’s rookie of the year. But the Chiefs cut safety Ron Parker to make room for Duvernay-tardif, so he must figure prominently in coach Andy Reid’s plans.

“To be honest right now, I think we’re just going to go out there and practice,” Duvernay-tardif said. “We’re going to leave it up to coach to decide who’s the best five at this moment, in order to go out there and compete against the Patriots.”