Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is putting his NFL career on hold once more to pursue a career in medicine. According to the Associated Press, the former Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets offensive tackle will begin a residency program at a Montreal-area hospital next month. Duvernay-Tardif is now an unrestricted free agent with a medical PhD.
“I’m going to put medicine first… and we’ll see if there’s a fit in September,” Duvernay-Tardif, 31, told the Associated Press. “I think I’ve earned the right to do what’s best for me and not only for football after eight years in the NFL, and I don’t want to sound arrogant by saying this, but I think I’ve earned the right to gamble on myself a little bit after eight years in the NFL.”
When Duvernay-Tardif departed the Kansas City Chiefs after aiding them to a Super Bowl victory to help combat the COVID-19 epidemic, he became the first NFL player to opt out of the 2020 season. He never played for Kansas City again after that, and in November 2021, he was dealt to the Jets. Despite his extended absence from the game, the athlete is optimistic that he will be able to find a team to play for this season.
