We’ve come to appreciate front-line heroes as never before in recent times – and rightfully so as we are indebted for all they’ve done. And in the case of Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, he stands out as a very unique front-line hero – the first M.D. to win a Super Bowl (on the front line as a starting guard in 2020 with the Kansas City Chiefs) before putting aside his NFL career later in 2020 to return to his native Quebec to battle Covid-19 on the front line in a long-term care facility.

At 6-foot-5 (1.96 metres), 321 pounds (146 kilograms), he excels in a sport he only began to play at the age of 14 when he simply outgrew other sports he loved. He captured the J.P. Metras Trophy as the Most Outstanding Lineman in Canadian university during his senior year at McGill.

He broke into the NFL in 2015 in 16 games (13 starts) with Kansas City. Traded to the New York Jets on November 2, 2021, Duvernay-Tardif’s NFL career has totaled 68 games (64 starts) heading into 2022.

Duvernay-Tardif was co-recipient of the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s top athlete in 2020. In addition, Sports Illustrated cited him as one of its 2020 Sportsperson of the Year winners and the 2021 ESPY’s awarded him the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award for his decision to sit out the 2020 NFL season to battle Covid-19.

His big heart is also evident in his LDT Foundation which has a mission of promoting the balance of sport, art and study in 10 different local schools. He hails from a family that loves sailing around the world. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif – a front-line hero without a doubt!