NFL: Chiefs RG, Who Works As Orderly, First To Opt Out

By
Gary Lee
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FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2016, file photo, Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (76) celebrates after a field goal by kicker Cairo Santos (5), during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs have signed offensive guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to a five-year contract extension, locking up the former sixth-round pick before he reaches free agency next season. Terms of the contract announced Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, weren't revealed, but the deal is believed to be worth $41.25 million, with $20 million guaranteed. That would make him one of the highest-paid offensive guards in the NFL. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga, File)
Kansas City Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has opted out of the 2020 season… becoming the first NFL player to do so.  

Duvernay-Tardif is a medical school graduate and he had been assisting as an orderly in a long-term care facility in the Montreal area during the coronavirus outbreak.

He took to social media and wrote, “I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus in our communities simply to play the sport that I love. If I am to take risks, I will do it caring for patients.” 

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Duvernay-Tardif was scheduled to make $2.75 million this season. Under the agreement between the NFL and players’ union he will either earn $350,000 or $150,000 for opting out.

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