Kansas City Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is the first NFL player to use the opt out option in the 2020 season.

The Quebec native, who would have been going into his seventh season in the league with the Chiefs, posted a statement on Twitter expressing his reasons behind opting out. In the statement Duvernay-Tardif mentioned his efforts to help with the virus in his hometown. At the beginning of the outbreak, the Chiefs veteran chose to move back home and work at a long-term care facility assisting patients.

“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. 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 Chiefs guard added.

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The Opt Out Option is one of the protocols put in place as a result of the negotiations between the league and NFL Players Association regarding the coronavirus. The protocol allows any player to opt out of the season due to concerns over the virus without any consequences.

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif mentioned in his statement that he believes the protocol put in place by the NFL and NFLPA is adequate to protect the players as much as they could, but he emphasized that “some risks will remain.” That was also one of the main reasons why he chose to follow his convictions and forego the 2020 campaign, which he described as “one of the most difficult decisions” he had to make in his life.