Kansas City Chiefs lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is the first player to opt out of the upcoming NFL season.
Duvernay-Tardif is in a unique position, however. Not only is a Super Bowl champion, but he is also working towards towards becoming a licensed doctor. He graduated from McGill University Faculty of Medicine in May 2018 with a Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery (M.D., Ch.M.), and has spent this offseason caring for patients at a clinic in his native Canada.
Rather than rejoin the Chiefs for the upcoming 2020-2021 NFL season, Duvernay-Tardif will continue to care for patients and those suffering from the Coronavirus, saying in a statement that he doesn't want to risk transmitting the virus just “to play the sport that I love.”
Chiefs quarterback and NFL megastar Patrick Mahomes said of Duvernay-Tardif's decision to opt out, "He's a guy that's been on those front lines working with the people that are suffering from COVID day to day and putting in all that time and all that work. He understands it and his decision was he wanted to stay there; he wanted keep helping in that capacity and I know it was difficult for him, but you respect the decision for him to kinda put his thoughts aside and kinda do what he thought was best to help out his community and the world as he sees it."
Via Fox News