Veteran guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is still not ready to say goodbye to football. However, being a professional football player doesn’t seem to be his priority, as he recently decided to put his career on hold and start a medical residency.
Duvernay-Tardif, who is a free agent, will start his postgraduate medical training at one Montreal hospital in July. He previously got a degree from McGill University Faculty of Medicine and holds the title of Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery.
Speaking about his decision in a chat with ESPN, Duvernay-Tardif explained that he still doesn’t intend to retire from NFL. He plans to weigh his options in September and see if there is a path for him to return to the field.
“After eight years in the NFL, and I don’t want to sound pretentious by saying this, but I think I’ve earned the right to do what’s best for me and not just for football and kind of bet on myself a little bit,” Duvernay-Tardif said.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was drafted in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Duvernay-Tardif would go on to make 57 starts for the Chiefs and help the franchise win the Super Bowl LIV. He last suited up for the New York Jets, making eight appearances in 2020.
