Not not like a lot of Canada’s most outstanding athletes, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif needs to be on the appropriate facet of historical past through the COVID-19 pandemic.
In July 2020, the Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., native turned the primary of 69 gamers to decide out of the NFL season beneath the league’s adjusted collective bargaining settlement, abandoning a defending Tremendous Bowl champion Kansas Metropolis workforce favoured to repeat.
The primary lively NFL participant to turn out to be a licensed MD, Duvernay-Tardif virtuously swapped the offensive line for the pandemic’s entrance line and has been serving as an orderly at a long-term care facility in Montreal since late August — 10 weeks after successful Tremendous Bowl LIV.
“My aim proper now could be to be the most effective orderly I could be,” Duvernay-Tardif instructed CBC Sports activities. “Opting out of the season was a giant determination for me, however although I like soccer my function this yr was to look after the aged in Montreal and assist the healthcare system usually.”
WATCH | How Duvernay-Tardif is getting ready to overlook Tremendous Bowl:
NFL participant and physician Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and his psychological efficiency coach Jean Francois Menard on how they prepped the participant for a pandemic and lacking a season. 9:34
A real renaissance man, the 6’5″ 321-pound guard isn’t any stranger to balancing drugs and soccer amongst different actions, having performed so since coming into the league as a sixth-round draft alternative out of McGill College in 2014.
“For the previous six years that is what I have been doing,” he mentioned. “Going from taking part in skilled soccer and growth, you lose within the playoffs after which you have to transition and turn out to be a medical scholar and alter that mentality of taking part in in entrance of 80-thousand individuals.”
Duvernay-Tardif — who teammates discuss with as ‘Larry’ with the intention to keep away from mispronouncing his first identify — graduated from medical faculty in 2018 and has witnessed an inconceivable on-field ascension since making the leap to professional soccer.
Since taking possession of Kansas Metropolis’s proper guard job early in his second season, he is began 57 of the 60 video games he is been lively for, incomes a merited five-year, $42.36-million US extension in 2017 as one of many highest-paid gamers in his place on the time.
Balancing soccer and research
Finally, there could not have been a greater group Duvernay-Tardif might have been drafted by with the intention to realistically pursue each careers.
Within the workforce’s affable head coach Andy Ried, ‘LDT’ found somebody who would turn out to be a champion of his lofty ambition within the medical discipline, whereas others had questioned his dedication to soccer due to it.
Coincidentally, Reid’s mom, Elizabeth, was one of many first girls to graduate in drugs from McGill years prior.
At all times fast to reward Reid for his function as an ally all through the method of balancing his research with professional soccer en path to his commencement, in 2018 Duvernay-Tardif mentioned, “I do not assume it would’ve been doable if it was not for him.”
WATCH | Duvernay-Tardif felt duty to contribute throughout pandemic:
Quebec’s Laurent Duvernay-Tardif of the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs opted out of the NFL season to work in a long-term care residence through the COVID-19 pandemic. He talks to Matt Galloway of CBC Radio’s The Present about what he realized. 1:54
Although his on-field profession has been an underdog story of triumph and dedication, Duvernay-Tardif’s dedication to serving to others off it was equally influential in him being named co-winner of the 2020 Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s athlete of the yr — sharing the honour with prodigious soccer star Alphonso Davies.
Since 2018, the 29-year-old has been working with ace psychological efficiency coach Jean François Ménard, writer of the e book Prepare (Your Mind) Like an Olympian: Gold Medal Strategies to Unleash Your Potential at Work.
Ménard is amongst these least-surprised by Duvernay-Tardif’s potential to successfully juggle duties and stay centered.
The pair spoke at size following Duvernay-Tardif’s heavy determination to decide out of the 2020 NFL season. A poignant second that Ménard believes his good friend made out of a way of responsibility.
“What I used to be actually pleased with is that he adopted what he actually believed in. It was emotional,” Ménard mentioned.
“He felt priceless. He felt like he was contributing. Possibly not contributing to a squad of fifty soccer gamers, however contributing to a complete society.”
In the meantime, on the sphere, Duvernay-Tardif’s workforce might be flying to Tampa Bay on Saturday forward of Sunday’s Tremendous Bowl LV showdown with Tom Brady and the host Buccaneers, who purpose to turn out to be the primary workforce to win the title recreation at residence within the Tremendous Bowl period (1966 onward).
WATCH | Convey It In: Previewing Tremendous Bowl LV:
Host Morgan Campbell is joined by Meghan McPeak and Dave Zirin to debate the whole lot Tremendous Bowl LV, together with the Brady vs. Mahomes match-up, their predictions, and whether or not having 22,000 spectators in attendance is a good suggestion or not. 25:04
Whereas the sedulous medical physician has been saved busy all through the course of the NFL season, he ensures he’ll be cheering his workforce on when the sport kicks off.
“Because the season went on and because the [team is] heading into the playoffs and now going to the Tremendous Bowl I bought in contact a bit extra with my teammates,” Duvernay-Tardif mentioned. “It is good as a result of although I am distant I nonetheless really feel like I belong to this workforce.”
As for the end result of the sport, the humble-yet-confident Duvernay-Tardif was unwavering in delivering his prediction.
“[My team] goes to win.”
