On Friday, the NFL and NFLPA came to an agreement that “broadly resolves all outstanding issues relating to the opening of training camps and the start of the 2020 season,” according to commissioner Roger Goodell, setting the stage for football to continue after dozens of players called on the league to address its lack of a specific health and safety plan.
One of the issues players needed clarity on is an opt-out clause for players. Per the new agreement, players deemed “high risk” can opt out for the season and receive a $350,00 stipend, while other players can voluntary opt out and receive a $150,000 salary advance. Players have seven days to decide whether or not to opt out after the deal is finalized, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
It didn’t take long for an NFL player to exercise his right to opt out. Kansas City Chiefs starting right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who is entering his seventh season with the team, announced on Twitter Friday night that he will not play in 2020, and will instead continue to fight COVID-19 on the front line.
Duvernay-Tardif, a Canadian player who attended medical school at McGill, has spent the offseason working as an orderly at a long-term care facility in Quebec. He wrote that this is one of the most difficult decisions he’s ever had to make, but that he “cannot allow” himself to “potentially transmit the virus in our communities simply to play the sport that I love.”
“There is no doubt in my mind the Chiefs’ medical staff have put together a strong plan to minimize the health risks associated with COVID-19 but some risks will remain.
This is one of the most difficult decision I have had to make in my life but I must follow my convictions and do what I believe is right for me personally. That is why I have decided to take the Opt Out Option negotiated by the League and the NFLPA and officially opt out of the 2020 NFL season.
Being at the frontline during this offseason has given me a different perspective on this pandemic and the stress it puts on individuals and our healthcare system. I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus in our communities simply to play the sport that I love. If I am to take risks, I will do it caring for patients.”
My decision regarding the 2020 NFL season pic.twitter.com/jrY3nZfNWO
— Laurent D. Tardif (@LaurentDTardif) July 25, 2020
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