Doctor and ex-footballer Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, the first player born in Quebec to win the Super Bowl, is one of the new members of the Order of Canada.
According to the explanatory note from the Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon, Duvernay-Tardif receives this honor because he embodies “team spirit on the football field and in everyday life”.
The Governor General particularly salutes his nine-season career in the NFL, his decision to forgo a season to fight COVID-19 and his work with his foundation.
This is a new honor for the 33-year-old, who has been a knight of the National Order of Quebec since 2019.
In the NFL, Duvernay-Tardif played with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2014 to 2021 and with the New York Jets for part of the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He notably won Super Bowl LIV with the Chiefs in 2020.
Alongside his career in the field, Duvernay-Tardif continued his studies in medicine, graduating from McGill University in 2018.
In 2020, he made international headlines when he chose to forgo the NFL season to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in CHSLDs, just a few months after winning the Super Bowl. He was named Sports Illustrated’s Person of the Year for this reason.
Since his retirement, Duvernay-Tardif has continued his work with his foundation, which works to promote the educational success of young people by promoting physical activity and the arts.
Duvernay-Tardif is one of 88 new members of the Order of Canada who were announced Wednesday.
“Deadpool” star Ryan Reynolds, Holocaust awareness and survivor Mariette Doduck, geneticist David Chitayat, curler Kevin Martin and The Rankin Family member Heather Rankin also received this honor.
The Order of Canada aims to recognize the “extraordinary” contribution of Canadians to their country. It was created in 1967.
