Shifting from the front line of offense for the Kansas City Chiefs to the front line of defense against COVID-19 proved easy for Laurent, despite his 321-pound frame. Laurent holds a medical degree and just weeks after winning the Super Bowl answered the call for medical students and degree holders to relieve front-line healthcare workers in his native Montreal. He was assigned to a long-term care facility, many of which were hit especially hard by the virus in Canada. Laurent also served on the NFL Players Association task force for a safe return to play, then became the first player to opt out of the season. “I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus in our communities simply to play the sport that I love,” he said. “If I am to take risks, I will do it caring for patients.” Laurent then spent the season taking online classes at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

 

“I want to be part of the solution. You know, I want to contribute. I want to help.” Laurent Duvernay-Tardif