Kansas City Chiefs’ Laurent Duvernay-Tardif opts out of NFL season due to coronavirus

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif – the starting guard of Kansas City Chiefs’ announced via an Instagram post that he will not be playing in NFL this season because of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

He writes in his Instagram post that this decision is an extremely difficult one for him but he wants to do what he believes is right. Hence he has “decided to take the Opt-Out Option negotiated by the League and the NFLPA and officially opt out of the 2020 season.”

Laurent, who owns a medical degree, is one of the first players to take a step back from this year’s games. He is currently working as a hospital attendant at a care facility in Montreal which is his hometown. The statement further reads “I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus in our own communities simply to play the sport that I love.”

The NFL and the NFL Players Association have agreed to pay an allowance to players who prefer to take the Opt-Out Plan.

Attending a press conference on Saturday, Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs’ quarterback, said that he respects Laurent Duvernay-Tardif ‘s decision to sit out this season.

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