A fracture to his right hand at training camp deprived Laurent Duvernay-Tardif of a real chance to regain his guard position to the right of the start. And now the presidents decided on Sunday not to force him to wear a uniform. However, the sequence of bad news is a far cry from rocking Quebec.
Duvernay-Tardif has taken part in a series of one-on-one interviews as part of his association with Quebec milk producers for an advertising campaign (see other text), but it is impossible not to discuss football with him.
After all, the guy who got into the NFL in 2014 was quickly establishing himself as a starter in his second season. Since then, when he was healthy, this was the role he held until the Presidents’ Invasion at the Super Bowl, in February 2020.
If he doesn’t hide that his misfortune over the past few weeks has taken its toll on him, he still believes he’s met his target, given that he put a cross for the 2020 season in order to fight the pandemic ahead, at CHSLD.
“I’m a natural competitor, so it immediately destroyed me that I couldn’t be a starter, but only be able to reclaim a place on one of the best performing teams in the NFL, that is,” Big. This year, I really celebrated the last day of the cuts because I thought to myself: I did. This was my first goal,” he told magazine.
Difficult conditions
However, the friendly offensive lineman was amazing when he arrived at Chiefs Camp at the end of July.
“It’s a shame because I’ve known a good camp so far. Even our general manager (Brett Fitch) came to me to tell me how impressive he was and found that I came back strong after more than a year away from the field,” he said.
As much as Duvernay-Tardiff clung to the idea of finding a sentry post to the right of the start, he was aware that the slope to get there would be too steep.
“People sometimes take that for granted, but carving out a place on a team is really very difficult. I couldn’t make it to gyms, worked for hours at CHSLDs and tried to maintain the physical shape of a professional athlete who usually takes advantage of a medical team to improve his performance. For me, it is a huge victory in itself to remain with the team.”
ready to play
Today, the doctor says he’s 100% recovered from his injury and is ready to jump in the field.
“The chiefs said to me, ‘Take the time you need, and make sure you’re okay, because we’ll need you in season. “”
“All I know is that the football season is long and that you somehow need everyone’s contribution,” he said wisely.
For now, it’s rookie Trey Smith who has taken his place up front, a fact that Quebecers accept as a good soldier.
” Here [dimanche]I wasn’t wearing a uniform, but I spent the match passing on information and tips to Trey. I try to help him as much as possible. The goal is for me to do the role I was assigned and be back to how I was before I got injured. I have to prove that I can be a suitable choice for the right goalkeeper position. ”
The new ambassador of Quebec milk
There was already Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, the Chiefs’ player, but also a medical graduate, CHSLD worker, spokesperson and foundation leader in his name. Since her life was not full enough, it is the role of spokesperson for the Producteurs de lait du Québec that now comes to fill her rare spare time.
Never looking back on an adventure, Duvernay-Tardif joined forces with milk producers over the next three years. Already, he has shot three funny commercials in which his sports, student, and “little guy from the country” sides are thrown.
“I had my say in the campaign. I brought the different aspects of my life back to the idea of the little man in the country by meeting real producers on their farm, and I found that it produced a great balance and that was in my image. I liked the idea of promoting the producers with the healthy product which is milk. It was important to have The product is compatible with who I am,” explained the man facing a thousand and one challenges.
Eight days of filming
For eight days, Duvernay-Tardif participated in the filming of the advertising campaign.
“It came out really well because I should have had 40 shots to do it!” “I laugh at the one who grew up on the ground in the family garden.
The challenges posed by COVID-19, especially during the early months of the pandemic, emphasized its link to local agricultural products.
“With the pandemic, we realized how vulnerable we are to food imports. Milk is a 100% local product everywhere in Quebec. It is precious that we have this resource that comes from farms at the human level. This kind of farming speaks to me.”
Even if he defends himself in his role as he defended the streak of scrimmage in the NFL, Duvernay-Tardif has no intention of becoming a star on the small screen.
“My plate is already full,” he remembers. I even got a little anxious before jumping on the set. I haven’t tested this before. This is my first big campaign, a new experience in my luggage. ”