The NFL intends to start its season as planned, but for Quebec amateurs, a big chunk will be missing. Kansas City Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has chosen to put an end to the campaign because of fears related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The McGill University alumnus, who has spent the past few months as a nursing home worker, was the first NFL player to avail himself of a clause that allows NFL players to opt out of the coming season and postpone their salary to 2021.
“Due to the current global health crisis we are experiencing, the NFL and the NFL Players’ Association have agreed to several major health and safety protocols to protect players. I am confident that the Chiefs medical team has a solid plan in place to minimize the health risks associated with COVID-19. ”
“However, risks persist and, as a future healthcare professional, I cannot afford to become a potential vector of transmission in our communities,” said the departing Chiefs’ right-guard and medical graduate, via his social networks.
For the moment, Duvernay-Tardif has chosen not to provide further explanations and the interview requests of the Journal were refused.
Difficult decision
Duvernay-Tardif, who joined the Chiefs as a sixth-round pick in 2014 and made his way to the ultimate coronation in the last Super Bowl in Miami, said he obviously didn’t make the decision. of lightheartedness.
“This decision was one of the most difficult I have had to make in my life. Having said that, considering the health risks, I must do what is best for me. It is for this reason that I made the decision not to play this season under the “opt out” clause negotiated by the Players’ Association and the League, which is available to all NFL players ” , he ruled.
An experience that influenced him
Obviously, the passage of the offensive lineman on the front line of the crisis in Quebec CHSLDs brought him a different vision from other players who did not experience the crisis in the eye of the storm.
“My experience on the front lines last spring gave me a different perspective on the pandemic and the stress it places on the healthcare system. If I find myself in a situation involving significant risks, I will do so by treating patients, ”concluded the one who intends to come back in force, if conditions allow it, next season.
The Chiefs are scheduled to begin their season as a curtain raiser on the NFL calendar on Thursday, September 10, against the Houston Texans.
–
