Laurent Duvernay-Tardif worked hard to be a medical doctor, but the NFL is once again playing buzzkill in a silly scenario.
For the last few offseasons, the Kansas City Chiefs have allowed one of their own to serve two masters. Offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif asked the team for the room to chase his medical education and the trust to believe he’d be ready when the team needed him the most.
It could have been a stressful situation, but Duvernay-Tardif has been a model citizen and player since he first landed with K.C. after being selected in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. As a developmental prospect, LDT should have required a singular focus to even make the team, but instead the Canadian import has excelled in the pros, earning a substantial extension from the Chiefs as he’s cemented the right guard spot for years.
Duvernay-Tardif’s hard work has paid off this spring as he passed his final medical exams and earned the initials M.D. after his name. It’s a feel good story for the NFL, a player who is also a doctor, and makes for a great talking point. It also shows the intelligence, hard work and dedication of Duvernay-Tardif. In response, the good doctor had a simple request. As he told the Kansas City Star:
"“I want to put Duvernay-Tardif M.D. on my jersey,” he said. “I’ve already started a conversation with the league office and they say that anything is possible.”"
Apparently that conversation didn’t go as hoped, at least for Duvernay-Tardif. The NFL denied his request to add the initials to his official uniform. For the life of us, we can’t understand why, save for the fact that the NFL tends to be a buzzkill in this sort of situation. As we search for the reasons, maybe one of the following is true:
- Maybe there’s a literal character limit on an NFL jersey. In fact, maybe Duvernay-Tardif is already pushing the line. Maybe he’s already won a minor battle already in not having to keep just one name and we just never knew about it. “Larry, you know we can’t fit and M or a D on the back, let alone both. We were glad to get rid of Houshmandzadeh and then you came along…”
- Perhaps the NFL likes to keep its players one-dimensional, for better or for worse. They want their players to stop getting into trouble. They also want them to stop protesting. Perhaps they also want them to stop pursuing other interests off the field. “Just be football players” is the message.
- It’s possible the NFL doesn’t want an immediate second opinion to be available on the field. Imagine Patrick Mahomes getting hit in Denver with a potential concussion and officials demand him to leave the field. Then LDT steps in and says, “Look, they’re lying. He’s fine.” Can’t have it.
Whatever the reason, let’s be clear that the NFL has played the role of buzzkill rather well in recent years and there’s no need to stop now. Have a great idea? Forget about it. Wait, do you have another way to bilk the taxpayers out of hundreds of millions? Well, let’s talk.
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Now that he’s done with medical school, maybe Duvernay-Tardif could also start law school and maybe work his way into a position to do something about the league’s stodgy approach in pretty much all matters. He’d be a great commissioner someday and we’re pretty sure he’s got the free time now to pursue anything he wants.