At this juncture, there may not be a better-known off-the-field interest for any Kansas City Chiefs player than that of offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.
It has been well documented Duvernay-Tardif has been attending medical school at McGill University with hopes to become a doctor. Earlier this offseason, the story even garnered national attention on the NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.”
On Wednesday afternoon after the second voluntary OTA practice of the offseason, Duvernay-Tardif updated the media on where he stands when it comes to medical school.
"It's been pretty intense," he said. "I was back in Montreal the week after we lost against the Steelers and I started medical school. I did two months of emergency medicine, one month of geriatric medicine. I passed my exam and everything, and like the year before, coach (Andy) Reid has been really flexible with my schedule. He really understands what I'm trying to do, so I was able to report almost three weeks later—the beginning of phase two. But I got a good chunk done and I'm getting closer to graduation, so that's cool."
[
](http://www.chiefs.com/longreads/2016/duvernaytardif.html)
The only obstacle that remains in the 26-year-old's way is a final exam called the USMLE, or the United States Medical Licensing Examination.
"The big exam is next May for me, so I have eight months to study," he explained. "Of course, I won't be studying for the season, but as soon as the season's over, I'm going to have a good three months to study for that, and then I'll be done with that."
Once he passes the USMLE, he will fully complete his medical school process that began in 2010.
Because of his recent contract extension, Duvernay-Tardif said he plans to push back his residency to a later date, but intends to seek medical internships after his graduation.
Those future internships could be at a place such as the University of Kansas Hospital or in his hometown of Montreal.
"I want to keep all my options open, so if I can do some internship here (in Kansas City) or back in Montreal, I'll do that in order to keep myself into the mindset of medical school a little bit, so that when I apply when I'm done playing, I'm still up to date with the knowledge."
Whereas a contract like the one Duvernay-Tardif signed could potentially persuade others from continuing the pursuit of a medical degree, he maintains that he is still determined to finish up schooling.
"I think the contract for me, it's huge," he said. "I'm super happy about it—it's a great vote of confidence from the Chiefs, but at the end of the day, the plan is to also become a doctor, and I promised myself I was going to finish my M.D., and I'm on track to finish it next offseason."
