KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Arguably the most interesting man in football is hanging up his cleats.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, the football-playing doctor who started at right guard for the Kansas City Chiefs during a Super Bowl LIV win against San Francisco, has retired from football.
The Chiefs picked Duvernay-Tardif, who opted out of the 2020 NFL season and instead practiced medicine in his native Canada during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
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He played five seasons in Kansas City from 2015-19 — appearing in 60 games, including 57 starts — before being traded to the New York Jets in November 2021 after the Chiefs drafted Trey Smith and he won the starting job.
“I’ve had the chance to play in the NFL for 9 years and even today, I sometimes can't believe I was able to experience this adventure,” Duvernay-Tardif, who was nicknamed “LDT,” said in a post announcing his retirement on Instagram. “Being a professional athlete is a privilege as well as an extremely enriching human and personal experience. The victories, losses and injuries have all been moments to learn how to win and lose as a team while managing a wide range of emotions.”
Duvernay-Tardif — who spent seven years with Kansas City, including his rookie season on the practice and the opt-out year — said Chiefs coach Andy Reid “was probably one of the only NFL coaches who positively viewed my desire to complete my medical school studies at McGill while playing football.
“He believed that a player must flourish off the field to perform on the field,” Duvernay-Tardif said via social media. “Being able to count on that kind of leadership was an incredible opportunity for me. Thank you to my teammates and staff of the Chiefs, Jets and McGill for supporting me in this journey.”
Duvernay-Tardif, who was the first NFL player to opt out of the 2020 season, played in 13 games, including eight starts, for the Jets during the last two seasons.
“Although closing the door on this chapter of my life will be difficult, I am serene in this decision and I retire with the feeling of mission accomplished,” he said via Instagram. “I view this incredible experience not as an ending, but as a springboard towards other projects.”
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