NFL professional waived season and millions because of Corona
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Budding Doctor: Laurent Duvernay-Tardif looked after Covid-19 patients during the NFL corona break in hospital
Those: AP / Brynn Anderson
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif plays for the Super Bowl winner Kansas City Chiefs. He has a medical degree. With this knowledge, he says, he cannot play with a clear conscience and may thus become infected.
AAs the first NFL professional, the Canadian Laurent Duvernay-Tardif will not compete for the new American football season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 29-year-old from Super Bowl winner Kansas City Chiefs announced that he would exercise the option. The league and players’ union had previously agreed on this option. Duvernay-Tardif is waiving several million dollars because he should only receive compensation of $ 150,000 instead of his salary.
Duvernay-Tardif has a medical degree and wants to become a doctor. He had worked in a hospital in his home country for the past few months, looking after corona patients. On Twitter, he wrote that the decision was one of the hardest of his life, but he had to follow his beliefs.
“Being at the forefront during the break gave me a different perspective on the pandemic and the stress it poses for individuals and our health system,” wrote Duvernay-Tardif. If he wants to take risks for his own health, he does so to help patients. The offensive Lineman added that he couldn’t allow himself to possibly transmit the virus simply by doing the sport he loved.
Big doubts about the regular start of the NFL
At all football games with spectators, all fans will have to wear a mouth-and-nose protective mask in the upcoming NFL season. The spokesman for the North American professional league NFL, Brian McCarthy, announced on Wednesday via Twitter. How many spectators are allowed to enter the NFL arenas given the corona restrictions depends on the location of the club in the United States.
The New York Jets, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles all want to play their home games in front of empty ranks. Other clubs – such as the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams or Pittsburgh Steelers – want to limit the number of spectators.
The NFL plans to open its season on September 10 when defending champion Kansas City Chiefs play the Houston Texans. Infection numbers remain high in the United States. Therefore, the doubts about a regular start of the NFL are still great.
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