Chiefs OL Laurent Duvernay-Tardif the 1st player to opt out of playing in 2020

The Chiefs starting RG is also a doctor

Hours after the NFL and the NFLPA agreed to a deal regarding player safety measures for the 2020 season, the first player to exercise the opt-out clause stepped forward.

Kansas City Chiefs starting right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif will sit out the 2020 NFL season. The starter for the defending champs announced his decision via social media.

There is special context to Duvernay-Tardif’s decision. He is a medical doctor who is licensed to practice medicine in his native Canada. As Duvernay-Tardif notes in his Twitter release, he spent time this offseason working the COVID-19 frontlines and that impacted his decision to sit out.

His contract will toll, meaning it does not count as a year of service.