‘It’s for sure a crazy time’
CHIE FS’ DUVERNAY-TRADIF CAN’T STRESS EN OUGH THE SERIOUSNE SS OF COVID-19
Family, friends, even his Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs teammates are asking Laurent Duvernay-tardif when the world will return to normal.
The first active NFL player since 1955 to earn his medical degree on the side tells them the same thing he’s been telling Quebeckers for weeks now to try to help that province’s residents understand and accept the urgency of what must be done to limit human damage from COVID-19.
“My answer always is, ‘ It’s pretty serious,’” Duvernay-tardif said in a phone interview Thursday from Montreal. “I don’t want to come across as a public health expert, because I’m not. But this is serious.
“We will know more in the next couple of weeks about what the next months will look like. The more data the public-health authorities are collecting, the better model (estimate) we will get. It’s for sure a crazy time.”
As much as he wants to, the 6- foot- 5, 320- pound Duvernay-tardif is unable at this time to lend medical support to those on the pandemic’s front lines, in aiding those afflicted by the coronavirus. To be sure, now is a crucial time.
As of Thursday, authorities in Quebec reported 10,912 COVID-19 cases ( up 881, or nine per cent, from Wednesday) and 216 deaths ( up 41 from Wednesday). Both totals top all other Canadian provinces and territories.
Montrealers comprise nearly half of Quebec’s coronavirus cases ( 5,262), and account for 43 per cent of the deaths (93).
Duvernay- Tardif, who graduated with his MD from Mcgill University’s world- prestigious medical school in Montreal in spring 2018, would like to be hands on and contribute on the front lines, but he cannot.
“I’m kind of in a grey zone right now. I graduated, I got my MD, but I haven’t applied to a residency program yet,” he said. “So I don’t have a licence number or anything. Usually people jump right from being a student into a residency program.
“I’ve been in touch with both public health authorities, and the Quebec government and the Mcgill faculty as well, to see what is the best role I can do to contribute. And basically what we decided it was best for me to kind of use my ( fame) in Quebec to try to reinforce the public- health measure of social distancing, and all the hygiene measures — and relay that information, especially to younger individuals.”
In a normal year, football would absorb nearly all of Duvernay-tardif ’s time and focus from April to mid-june (with spring practices and mini- camps), then again starting with training camp in late July until his team, the Chiefs, is eliminated from the playoffs or, failing that, until the end of the regular season.
Much as he’d like, there’s no time there to squeeze in his residency training at a hospital.
This past season the Chiefs, of course, went all the way. It was only 9 ½ weeks ago that Duvernay-tardif, the Chiefs’ starting right guard, celebrated winning Super Bowl LIV with his Kansas City teammates — first in a massive parade back in Kansas City, then for a couple of weeks back home in Montreal.
It was all a blur. He since has had time to reflect and better appreciate the accomplishment.
“The core of the team, especially on offence, were together all through those years of leading up to the Super Bowl,” Duvernay-tardif said. “It’s not just one game you think back on, it’s all those years of hard work. I’m really proud and happy that I was part of that group of guys who went through that with coach (Andy) Reid. Then to win it is really unbelievable.
“The parade in Kansas City with a million- some people — to think back on it now it’s crazy. That many people together at once … Now it feels like it was years ago.
“Then to come back here to Montreal, where people were so proud, and so festive, and so nice. Just a great, great moment. And after two weeks of enjoying that, I almost had to force myself to leave, otherwise I’d never start getting ready for next season. So I had to go away to kind of clear my mind.”
The 29- year- old spent a few weeks in the Caribbean sun, only to fly home to discover the world had changed. Massively. Overnight.
“I came back on March 12, which was the first day of self-isolation here in Quebec. I had so many conferences, media deals, partnerships and foundation activities lined up. It was going to be a busy, busy three weeks — before reporting back to Kansas City for spring camp.
“The first thing I thought was not, ‘Oh my god, I’m not going to be able to do all this,’ but rather, ‘I’m in isolation. I won’t be able to help if they need me.’”
Indeed, Duvernay-tardif as a returning traveller from abroad had to self- quarantine for two weeks. He was happy to do it. Continuing self- isolation is a message he’s now helping to spread as best he can.
“Flattening the curve and enforcing those behaviours to make sure people stay home right now is going to maybe help us prevent three times the number of fatalities down the road,” he said. “Everything we’re doing right now, by way of individual sacrifices, is really, really critical for the outcome of this pandemic over the next few months.”
With border crossings into the United States closed except for essential travel, such as emergencies and vital commerce, Duvernay-tardif could not travel to Kansas City if he wanted to do so. Especially if things do get worse before they get better.
“There is going to be another football season after this one, and one after that, and one after that,” he said. “That’s what we have to fight for right now, not the immediate spring training.
“This is bigger than football.”