Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has gone from the offensive line to the front line, using the medical degree he completed during offseasons with the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs to help patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Still dressed in his lab coat while taking a lunch break Friday, the gregarious Duvernay-Tardif explained during a video interview that he contacted the health ministry in his native Canada early in the outbreak to see how he could help.
Duvernay-Tardif began by making public-service announcements and getting out the word about social distancing. But he soon sprang into action when it became clear there would be a shortage of trained medical professionals.