NFL Player Skips Season To Fight COVID-19

• Kansas City Chiefs lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif will not be playing this season but will be in the frontline of hospitals as a doctor.
• Duvernay-Tardif and other NFL team players were given the option to opt-out of this NFL season due to coronavirus concerns.
• The League and the NFLPA have negotiated for players to receive stipends even if they opt-out.

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Kansas City Chiefs lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif will still be in the frontline but not in the field but in the fight against the coronavirus.  He has opted out in this season’s games and will also not be there to defend their title in next year’s Super Bowl.

Duvernay-Tardif has a medical degree from McGill University and has been fighting the coronavirus.

.@Chiefs RG Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif won't be playing football in 2020. Instead, he'll continue fighting the COVID-19 pandemic 🙏 https://t.co/RsFr7r2in8 pic.twitter.com/UVaL5OO961— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 25, 2020

He said, “This is one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make in my life but I must follow my convictions and do what I believe is right for me personally. This is why I have decided to take the Opt Out Option negotiated by the League and the NFLPA and officially opt out of the 2020 NFL season.”

Rookies have been undergoing COVID-19 tests and physical exams at training camp in Kansas City this week. Training will begin in a few days with other veterans expecting to join the rookies.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDDBjRMDNCe/?utm_source=ig_embed

With the pandemic wreaking havoc on everything and everyone, the NFL and its players association were given the option to play or not. Players who will not play will still get a stipend of $150,000 and players who opt out because they are classified as “high risk” will receive $350,000.

Duvernay-Tardif chose to opt out and use his medical degree to be in the frontline in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

He just renegotiated his four-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs with a base salary of US$2.75 million this season. With his opt out option, he would be taking in a lesser pay this season but all that is provided for in his contract will still be applicable next season.

Duvernay-Tardif said, “Being on the frontline during this offseason has given me a different perspective on this pandemic and the stress it puts on individuals and our healthcare system. I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus in our communities simply to play the sport that I love.”

Source: Tank’s Good News