Chiefs Starter is First Player to Opt-Out of NFL Season Because of COVID-19

Kansas City Chiefs guard offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has become the first player to opt out of the upcoming NFL season because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The 29-year-old admitted that being on the frontline over the last few months had given him a different perspective on the pandemic and did not want to expose himself to the risk of contracting the virus purely to play football.

A medical school graduate from McGill University in Canada, Duvernay-Tardif, who won Super Bowl LIV in February, has spent the last few months assisting in a long-term care facility in Montreal.

Duvernay-Tardif explained his decision on social media, describing it as one of the hardest choices of his life.

"Being at the frontline during this offseason has given me a different perspective on this pandemic and the stress it puts on individuals and our healthcare system," he wrote on Twitter on Friday. "I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus in our communities simply to play the sport that I love. If I am to take risks, I will do it caring for patients."

The COVID-19 outbreak has ravaged the U.S. over the last four months. As of Saturday morning over 4.11 million cases of coronavirus had been reported in the U.S.

Of the over 639,700 deaths recorded worldwide so far, more than 145,500 have been in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins University, which has been tracking the outbreak using combined data sources.

There have been over 15.7 million confirmed cases globally since the outbreak of coronavirus was first identified in Wuhan, a city located in China's central Hubei province, late last year.

Duvernay-Tardif immediately received support from his teammates, who praised his decision.

"Gonna miss my brother in [the] locker room, but I love this move," Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill wrote on Twitter, sharing a post referencing his teammate's decision to pull out of the season. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes retweeted Hill's post.

The Chiefs starting right guard for the past five seasons, Duvernay-Tardif was scheduled to receive a $2.75 million salary this season, with a further $2.75 million in prorated and roster bonuses, according to overthecap.com.

His announcement came on the same day as the NFL and the NFL Players Association reached an agreement over COVID-19 protocols for the upcoming season, which stipulates players who are considered high-risk due to coronavirus can earn $350,000 and an accrued NFL season should they opt to sit out the 2020 campaign. Players who are not considered to be at risk will receive $150,000 if they opt out of the season.

The NFL and NFLPA are expected to officially ratify the agreement on Monday, from when players will have a seven days to decide whether they're going to play this season.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the agreement "broadly resolves all outstanding issues" relating to the opening of training camps and start of the 2020 season and that training camps will begin as scheduled next week.

"We have worked collaboratively to develop a comprehensive set of protocols designed to minimize risk for fans, players, and club and league personnel," he said in a statement.

"These plans have been guided by the medical directors of the NFL and the NFLPA and have been reviewed and endorsed by independent medical and public health experts, including the CDC, and many state and local public health officials.

"The season will undoubtedly present new and additional challenges, but we are committed to playing a safe and complete 2020 season, culminating with the Super Bowl."

The NFL season is scheduled to start on September 10.