Duvernay-Tardif playing again after fighting pandemic

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was far from a football field at this time last year, when shoulder pads and playbooks gave way to scrubs and medical charts.

The big New York Jets offensive lineman with a doctorate in medicine was on the front lines helping fight against a pandemic that gripped the world — and putting his playing career on hold.

“I was part of a movement of thousands of people that went back and helped, whether it was retired nurses or doctors, ” DuvernayTardif said. “I think it gave me a different perspective on the medical system. Like, everything is so hierarchical normally, but in a time of crisis, feeling like everybody coming together and working as a team, it was pretty amazing.”

The 30-year-old Duvernay-Tardif, a native of Montreal, graduated from the McGill University Faculty of Medicine in May 2018, earning his doctorate and a master’s in surgery while balancing his blossoming football career. He was the first NFL player to opt out of last season because of the coronavirus pandemic, a decision that didn’t come easily.

Duvernay-Tardif was coming off having won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs in his sixth NFL season when the world’s events tugged at him. For years, his life had been all about blocking defenders, protecting quarterbacks and plowing lanes for running backs.

But he wanted to do more.

He needed to do more. Duvernay-Tardif didn’t yet have his license to practice, so he instead worked as an orderly at a long-term care facility in his hometown. He helped feed patients, changed them, gave them medicine and offered a friendly face to some living their final days.

“A big impact, that’s for sure,” he said of how the experience affected him. “I think it changed my perspective, both as a future physician, but also as a football player. … I know I’m going to be involved in the medical community for the next 40 years, but I think last year there was some special circumstances.”