An article in the Toronto Star recently made me realize that some professional athletes do much more than just entertain; they inspire us to be better versions of ourselves. Indeed, the following piece by Dave Feschuk tells a story well worth repeating.
When the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced it was paying tribute to the off-field work of Kansas City Chiefs lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, nobody familiar with even the rough outlines of his story could have been surprised.
He is the six-foot-two, 320-pound Montrealer who eschewed the offensive line to lend a hand on the pandemic’s front lines. He’s the McGill University medical-school graduate who deferred a $2.75 million (U.S.) salary — not to mention a spot in the starting lineup of the defending Super Bowl champions — to spend this NFL season studying online at Harvard while continuing to work as an orderly at the long-term care facility where he has been a regular presence since the coronavirus began its dastardly spread.
Among multimillionaire pro athletes intent on maximizing short career windows, it was a rare move. So the idea that a set of Duvernay-Tardif’s medical scrubs are now on display at Canton, Ohio’s famed shrine is only fitting. As 2020 painfully grinds to a close, here’s guessing it won’t be the last time Duvernay-Tardif’s admirable life choice will be celebrated.
We’re a little less than a month away, after all, from that time on the calendar when a cross section of Canadian sports media types traditionally gathers at the Toronto Star’s offices to decide the winner of the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s athlete of the year. This time around, of course, the gathering will be virtual. And it’ll be surprising, at least from this perspective, if Duvernay-Tardif isn’t given serious consideration for the prize.
He spoke about following his convictions in this statement last July.
“Being at the front line during this off-season has given me a different perspective on this pandemic and the stress it puts on individuals and our health-care system,” Duvernay-Tardif said at the time of his opt-out. “I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus in our communities simply to play the sport I love. If I am to take risks, I will do it caring for patients.”
With discussions about the Canadian Athlete of the Year for 2020 now well underway, let me voice my unreserved support for this remarkable young man.
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