Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, the Canadian medical doctor and offensive lineman who is currently putting his football career on hold to do a residency in Montreal, now has an opportunity to play pro football in his hometown.
The Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes have acquired Duvernay-Tardif’s CFL rights in a trade with the Calgary Stampeders. The CFL obviously can’t compete with the NFL either from a financial standpoint or from a quality of play standpoint, but Alouettes General Manager Danny Maciocia is hoping to entice Duvernay-Tardif to play for his hometown team — and to get the letters “M.D.” on the back of his jersey, something the NFL wouldn’t allow.
“We are happy to have proceeded with this transaction. Laurent is a football icon in Montreal and Quebec. We can only be winners in this transaction because even if Laurent never wears an Alouettes uniform, he will be able to openly support his hometown team without feeling any remorse,” Maciocia said, via 3DownNation.com. “We wish him the best success with his football career moving forward, and are satisfied knowing that if he does play in Canada, he will do so in a city and a stadium that he knows very well. He would also finally be able to wear the letters M.D. on the back of his jersey like he has been wanting to do.”
Duvernay-Tardif was born and raised near Montreal and played his college football at McGill University there. The Chiefs drafted him in 2014 and he earned his M.D. by taking medical school classes during the offseasons. He sat out the 2020 season to treat COVID-19 patients, and was traded to the Jets in 2021. He is currently a free agent and has indicated he’s open to the possibility of shifting his focus from medicine to football and playing this season.