At the 2021 ESPY Awards on Saturday evening, Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was named Humanitarian of the Year.
During the NFL’s 2020 COVID-19 opt-out period, several players across the league chose to step away from the game they love to decrease the stances of spreading the virus to their loved ones.
Duvernay-Tardif opted out but chose to step on the frontlines to help as many patients as possible at a long-term care facility in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He has a medical degree from McGill University.
For his work to help fight against the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2020 NFL season, Duvernay-Tardif was presented with the Muhammed Ali Sports Humanitarian Award, an honor that is presented to “an athlete whose continuous, demonstrated leadership has created a measured positive impact on their community through sports”.
LDT took to Twitter to express his gratitude regarding his latest achievement.
“Being a professional athlete comes with a lot of privileges but also a responsibility to use your platform to have a positive impact in your community,” LDT wrote. “Winning this award for my work off the field is a huge honor.”
Duvernay-Tardif was the first player to opt-out of the 2020 NFL season as soon as the league permitted players the right to opt-out if they wanted to.
Last December, LDT was the co-winner of the Lou Marsh Award, which is awarded annually to Canada’s top athletes. He was also named one of Sports Illustrated’s five 2020 Sportspersons of the Year.
