Laurent Duvernay-Tardif nominated for Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award

Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has been nominated as one of four finalists for the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award, an honor given out to athletes who make a significant impact in their respective communities.

The Muhammad Ali Award is part of the Sports Humanitarian Awards presented by ESPN over each of the last six years, and this year’s edition will take place on July 12. The event itself is a fundraiser for the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund at the V Foundation, but ESPN also gives $25K to each finalist as well as an additional $100K to the charity of choice for the winner.

Duvernay-Tardif, who is also trained as a medical doctor, signed up as the first player in the National Football League to opt out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 and the growing global pandemic last spring. Instead, he decided to go back to his native Quebec and join the front lines of medical personnel working hard to treat those were sick instead of chasing a potential Super Bowl repeat with the Chiefs.

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is one of four finalists for an ESPN humanitarian award.

This year, Duvernay-Tardif has come back to try and reclaim his starting role at right guard for a rebuilt offensive line in front of Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs have brought in plenty of competition, however, including veteran free agent Kyle Long, who came out of retirement and is currently injured for the majority of the summer, Andrew Wylie, who started last season’s games at the position, and Trey Smith, who was drafted in the sixth round this spring.

Last year’s winner of the Muhammad Ali Award was Nelson Cruz of the Minnesota Twins.