Qui est Laurent? | Get to know Larry!
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, un vétéran de 9 saisons dans la NFL ayant évolué en tant que garde à droite pour les Chiefs de Kansas City puis pour les Jets de New York, est le premier joueur actif de la NFL à avoir décroché un doctorat en médecine. L’athlète-étudiant marquait déjà l’histoire, en 2014, lorsqu’il est devenu le 10e Canadien et le premier Québécois en 15 ans issu d’une université canadienne à être repêché par une équipe de la NFL. En remportant la 54e édition du Super Bowl, Laurent ajoutait le trophée Vince-Lombardi à ses honneurs. Son parcours est à ce point unique que le quotidien américain Kansas City Star l’a sacré « l’homme le plus intéressant de la NFL ».
En plus d’être reconnu pour ses accomplissements sportifs, Laurent se démarque par son implication philanthropique dans les domaines de la santé, de la culture et de l’éducation. Durant l’année 2020, Laurent est allé prêter main-forte pendant la pandémie en travaillant comme préposé aux bénéficiaires en CHSLD. D’ailleurs, Laurent a été le premier joueur de la NFL à annoncer son retrait de la saison 2020 de la NFL en raison de la COVID-19.
Le leadership et l’impact positif dont il fait preuve au sein de la communauté ont été soulignés en 2021 par le prestigieux Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award, qui reconnaissait ses efforts dans la lutte contre la COVID-19. Laurent a aussi été nommé corécipiendaire du Northern Star Award en 2020, prix octroyé au meilleur athlète au Canada.
En 2017, le souhait de s’engager auprès des jeunes l’a mené à cocréer la Fondation LDT avec sa conjointe Florence-Agathe Dubé-Moreau et l’aide d’une équipe de jeunes professionnelles et professionnels passionné(e)s. Elles et ils désirent développer des programmes innovants en matière d’activités physiques et artistiques pour les jeunes. Laurent et Florence partagent la volonté d’inspirer aux jeunes la passion des sports et des arts – tous les deux ayant eu le privilège de découvrir ces sphères étant enfant et aujourd’hui de pouvoir s’y illustrer.
Passionné de voile — il a passé de nombreux étés comme animateur de camp — et amateur d'art contemporain, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif est aussi charismatique qu'imposant physiquement et son avenir n'est que prometteur._________________
His meteoric rise has been so remarkable that the Kansas City Star called him “the most interesting man in the NFL.” And for good reason: not only is Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is a 9 year NFL Veteran and Super Bowl Champion, he is also studying medicine at McGill University. In May 2018, he graduated with his doctorate in medicine, earning one of the biggest accomplishments of his life.
In May 2014, at the age of only 23, the Mont-Saint-Hilaire native became the 10th Canadian to be drafted by an NFL team from a Canadian university. In his second season in Kansas City, the six-foot-five-inch 320-pound player earned the position of starting right guard on the team.
Passionate about both football and medicine, Laurent turned a deaf ear when counsellors and family members advised him to choose between sports and studies. And it proved to be the right choice! “It’s all about balance. Don’t give up on your passions!” he tells the young people he meets at the many talks he gives at schools.
Duvernay-Tardif played university football with McGill University (2010 to 2013) after his college career with the Phénix at Collège André-Grasset (2008-2009). Previously, he played three seasons with the Richelieu Pirates in Beloeil.
From the beginning of his career, he has been honoured with awards, both athletic and academic. In February 2020, he was an integral part of the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl winning team as their starting Right Guard.
During the spring of 2020, Laurent lent a helping hand during the Covid-19 pandemic by working as an orderly at a long term care facility in the Montreal area. In July 2020, Laurent announced that he was opting out of the 2020 NFL season due to Covid-19, becoming the 1st player of the 2020 NFL season to announce his decision to opt-out. While working on the front lines, he also enrolled in Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
In 2020, he was named co- recipients of the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year award as well as the co-winner for the 2020 Lou Marsh Trophy. He was also named to “l’Ordre National du Québec” in 2020. In 2021, he was the recipient of the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award. Laurent was also the inaugural recipient of the 2021 Canada’s Walk of Fame National Hero Honour in December 2021. This award presentation was aired on CTV. His scrubs and lab coat are now on display in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Already very involved in his community despite his grueling schedule, Laurent is driven by the desire to get young people excited about physical activity and art as well as promoting balance between sports, arts and studies. In 2017, his longtime girlfriend Florence and him cofounded the Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Foundation, its mission being to encourage sports, arts and studies for kids.
An avid sailor—he spent many summers as a camp counselor—and fan of contemporary art, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is as charismatic as he is physically imposing, and his future holds great promise.