The last time McGillians got an update from Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was in 2020. It was a busy year for the McGill Medicine alum: he was a Super Bowl champion in February, opted out of the NFL season in July to care for COVID patients and by December was named a Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year.He later returned to the NFL to play two seasons with the New York Jets before retiring in 2023. The following year he resumed his medical career, and last month he officially completed his residency training in family medicine.
“I debated for a long time, ‘Do I go back, do I still need to be a doctor?’,” said Duvernay-Tardif. “At some point you realize it’s more of a calling than anything else. Slowly but surely the initial core of why I’m doing medicine came back to me, and I’m really enjoying it.”
His training included stints working in intensive care, obstetrics, emergency rooms and a trauma centre, and he’s already begun a one-year fellowship in emergency medicine. Throughout it all, he has still considered himself “a student of McGill” – he even studied for his residency exams at a McGill library.
“If not for McGill there wouldn’t have been any NFL or medicine. It was McGill that supported me and understood my plan to combine both; it allowed me to do that, and I’m so grateful.”
Medic on the move
Even after retiring from football, Duvernay-Tardif was not your typical medical resident. There are probably few others who own a bakery, served as a special correspondent at the Milano-Cortina Olympic Games or have their own charitable foundation.
He’d like to continue pursuing multiple interests, which is why he’s considering working as a relief physician in remote regions of Quebec.
“You might spend five days in Sept-Îles or five days in Gaspésie, work non-stop in a little rural community where they need somebody, then come back home and move onto something else.
“That’s kind of what I was doing in football: you get on a plane, you go play, you come back and then get ready for the next one. It gives you the flexibility to focus on things besides medicine, so I think that’s my style. I want to continue having multiple projects.”
In the future, he may practice medicine in Montreal, but “I’m a curious person. I need to be on the run for a few years before settling down.”
The fine art of football
Duvernay-Tardif hasn’t forgotten about football. With a work schedule often requiring overnight shifts, he doesn’t follow it as much as he’d like, but he still tries to watch a few of the Chiefs’ matchups every year.
“Chiefs versus Buffalo, the Patriots and the Eagles – they’re always great games and I have tons of memories from those rivalries. But when you leave football, you know you’re never going to be able to go back; when you’re done, you’re done.”
He misses playing, but he applied what he learned as a professional athlete to his medical residency.
“Sports teaches you things that go way beyond sports: stress management, resilience, an approach to problem-solving. Because at the end of the day, medicine is all problem-solving; it’s a never-ending learning experience.”
Fans won’t be surprised to learn athletics remain part of his life – he’ll carve out time for road biking, ultimate frisbee or pickleball with friends – but they may be surprised to learn he’s also interested in the arts.
The Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Foundation provides after-school programs for youth focusing on both athletic and artistic activities, and it’s active in 70 schools across Quebec. His girlfriend works in the art field, and he reveals they’re both “avid [art] collectors.”
That may seem surprising, but for someone once known as “the most interesting man in the NFL,” it’s par for the course.
“It’s all about pushing your limits in different ways.”