Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is a Canadian former professional football player and the only active NFL player to have earned a medical degree. He grew up in Montreal and became fluent in French. His parents were involved in the wine business and later opened a craft bakery, where he occasionally worked during the offseason.
Laurent attended McGill University, where he played university football while pursuing a medical degree, graduating with his doctorate in medicine in 2018. After his NFL career, he enrolled at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health for a Master of Public Health degree.
Laurent was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL draft, becoming the 10th Canadian selected from a Canadian university. Over six seasons with the Chiefs, he established himself as a key player, starting all 14 games in the 2016 season and signing a five-year, $42.36 million contract in 2017. He played a significant role in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV victory in 2020, earning accolades for his contributions on and off the field. He was traded to the New York Jets in 2021 and announced his retirement from the NFL in 2023.
As a medical professional, Laurent worked as an orderly at a long-term care facility during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting out of the 2020 NFL season to assist in this capacity. His humanitarian efforts earned him the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award in 2021.
Laurent has received numerous honours, including being named a Chevalier of the Ordre national du Québec in 2019 and appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2024. He comes from an athletic family, with two younger sisters pursuing sports careers. His unique combination of athletic and medical expertise has garnered him widespread recognition.
