Future Doctor Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Wants ‘M.D.’ on the Back of His Jersey

Chiefs lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is on track to finish medical school this offseason.

Chiefs lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif wants to an unusual suffix on the back of his jersey: “M.D.”

Players often append Jr. or Sr. at the end of their nameplates, but Duvernay-Tardif wants to use the space to tout a personal accomplishment. He’s set to finish medical school this offseason and become the first NFL player to take the field while holding a medical degree. 

“I want to put Duvernay-Tardif M.D. on my jersey,” he told the Kansas City Star. “I’ve already started a conversation with the league office and they say that anything is possible.”

Duvernay-Tardif didn’t expect to be an NFL player when he first enrolled in med school at McGill University in Montreal. He didn’t even join the school’s football team immediately.

When he was selected by the Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2014 draft, Duvernay-Tardif had to meet with the school’s dean to hammer out a plan that would let him finish his degree while playing pro football. That schedule required on-the-fly adjustments when the Chiefs made the playoffs. It required a lot of juggling, but four years later he’s on track to take the licensing exam in May.