Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (; born February 11, 1991) is a Canadian football guard for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played university football and attended medical school at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, before being drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Duvernay-Tardif is only the fourth medical school graduate to play in the NFL. He was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 2019 and enrolled at Harvard University to get a Master of Public Health degree the following year. Duvernay-Tardif opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic and returned to Canada to work in a care facility. As a result of his efforts on and off the field in 2020, he was named a co-winner of the Lou Marsh Award, given annually to Canada's top athlete, as well as the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year. He returned to the NFL in 2021 after being traded to the New York Jets. Early life Duvernay-Tardif was born in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, and grew up in Montreal. He started playing football at the age of 14, until his family went on a year long sailing trip to the Bahamas. After their return, he resumed playing football at age 16 for his high school. His native language is French. University career Duvernay-Tardif attended McGill University, where he was member of the McGill Men's football team from 2010 to 2013. In his final year, he won the J. P. Metras Trophy, recognizing the best lineman in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (now U Sports) system, and was named an All-Canadian for the second consecutive season. He balanced university football with medical school. In a 2014 article in Sports Illustrated, Joan Niesen said that he "was practicing just once a week—and he was still the best college player in Canada." Professional career Duvernay-Tardif played in the 2014 East-West Shrine Game, in which he was part of Jerry Glanville's East team that defeated the West 23–13. Duvernay-Tardif did not receive an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine. On March 27, 2014, Duvernay-Tardif held a personal pro day in Montreal that was attended by nine NFL teams and four Canadian Football League (CFL) teams. CFL Draft In the CFL's Amateur Scouting Bureau final rankings, Duvernay-Tardif was ranked as the best eligible player for the 2014