Thursday turned into retirement day for some players in the league.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, the Canadian Super Bowl champion and doctor who put his career on hold to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, has announced he is finished playing in the NFL.
Duvernay-Tardif, a member of the Kansas City Chiefs for over half a decade as an offensive guard, announced his retirement on Thursday via Instagram.
“It’s been 9 years since I’ve had the opportunity to evolve in the NFL, and sometimes I still don’t get over the opportunity to experience this adventure. Being a professional athlete is such a privilege as well as an enriching human and personal experience. Wins, losses, and injuries have been so many opportunities to learn how to win and lose as a team while dealing with great emotions.
In 2014 I had the honor of being coached by Coach Reid. Probably one of the only NFL Coaches that has positively seen my desire to complete my med at McGill and support me throughout my 7 years with the organization. Being able to count on a leadership that believes that to perform as a player you need to thrive off the field was an unprecedented opportunity for me. Thank you to the Chiefs, Jets, and McGill players and staff for supporting me in this challenge.
Thank you to Sasha, my friend and right-hand man who un hesitatedly agreed to represent me as an agent while he was studying for his 2013 bar exam. I would never have been able to sail to the beach without you. You always believed in us more than I believed in myself. What makes me proud about all of this is that over the past 9 years, a Super Bowl, an opt-out, a trade to the Jets, a few contracts, and countless projects together, our friendship is even stronger than ever.
Thank you Flo my mistress You’ve always known how to position yourself in this unique ecosystem so intelligently. You’ve known how to stay yourself in this crazy adventure—partner in all times, the best and the most difficult. This experience couldn’t have been the same without you.
And thank you to each and everyone of you for the unconditional and unwavering support you have shown me throughout these 9 years. Blessed to have experienced this with you.
Although closing the door on this stage in my life will be difficult, I am serene in this decision and I walk away feeling accomplished. I see this incredible experience not as an end, but a stepping stone to other projects.”
The offensive guard played football at McGill and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round in 2014. He played for the Chiefs from 2015-19, helping them win the Super Bowl in 2019.
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When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he became the first NFL player to opt out of his contract for the upcoming season as he instead put his doctorate in medicine to good use. In 2020, Duvernay-Tardif was named one of SI’s Sportsperson of the Year winners.
After returning to the Chiefs for the 2021 campaign, Duvernay-Tardif was traded to the New York Jets in November in exchange for tight end Daniel Brown. He would play in eight games for the Jets that year and then five more regular-season contests last season.
Now he is permanently stepping away from the game.
