S O
T Y
SP
OR
TS
PE
RS
ON(^) OF
(^) TH
E (^) Y
EA
R
Just thinking about
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and
his immense sacrifice to opt
out of the 2020 NFL season to
work on the front lines of a
pandemic makes me tear up.
He went into football because he has a passion
for the game, because he’s talented, and he works
hard, as evidenced by the Super Bowl he won last
February. To choose to go back to the front lines,
because he’s a doctor, and he wants to help people,
even if that’s performing tasks like changing dia-
pers and dispensing medications at a long-term
care facility just outside of Montreal, it shows
how much he cares. It shows that he’s not only
a caring doctor but above all a good person and
the perfect choice for Sportsperson of the Year in
turbulent 2020.
As one of few Canadians to win an NFL title, a
key protector of MVP QB Patrick Mahomes and
the starting right guard on a burgeoning dynasty
in Kansas City, Laurent was already a sports hero.
But it’s like he could see that now, more than ever,
our society needs medical heroes, and it doesn’t
matter whether you’re the one making decisions
in the intensive care unit, or you’re giving orderlies
and nurses a much-needed break. He’s more of a
hero now than he ever would be on the field.
I hope that fans can appreciate his choices,
even applaud them, and support whatever he
and every other medical professional in society is
doing right now, as we fight the relentless spread
of COVID-19. This should not be about criticizing
the efforts to social distance, or denying the need
to wear masks and take the virus seriously. This
is about stopping a deadly disease that has now
claimed the lives of more than 250,000 Americans
and shows no signs of slowing down.
Despite being the rare human to exist in the
same Venn diagram as Laurent—as both a doctor
BY DR. JENNY THOMPSON
12-time Olympic medalist, anesthesiologist at
Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, S.C.