Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was recruited by the Rouge et Or after leaving college in 2010 and did not take his medical entrance exam at Laval, believing the exam would take place a week later.
Head coach Glen Constantin had contacted Sasha Ghavami to check whether his protégé’s departure was voluntary and he simply did not want to play in Laval because he was conspicuous by his absence, but Duvernay-Tardif’s friend and agent had reassured him.
“Laurent is very, very intelligent, but he hardly has any problems with planning,” replied Ghavami Constantin. Since Duvernay-Tardif missed the test, he could no longer play in Laval as there is no replay.
The three French-speaking institutions (Laval, Montreal and Sherbrooke) that offer the medicine program hold their admissions exams on the same day, while McGill has its own exam. “Nobody knows if Laurent would have chosen Laval,” Constantin said, “but he couldn’t after he failed the test.”
The former André-Grasset Phénix defensive lineman ended up at McGill, where he switched to offense after his freshman season. He notably won the JP Metras Trophy, awarded to the country’s best lineman in 2013, which earned him an invitation to the East-West Shrine Game in St. Petersburg a few months later, where he made a positive impression. At the end of March, ten NFL teams traveled to Montreal for Proday.
“Extraordinary intelligence and understanding”
Constantin remembers Duvernay-Tardif’s debut with the Redbirds. “His technique wasn’t great, but he was a great athlete. His intelligence and understanding of the game were exceptional. I’m very proud of his journey.”
While Matthew Bergeron and Benjamin St.Juste chose the traditional NCAA route to get to the NFL, Duvernay-Tardif stayed in Canada to begin his medical studies.
“His success showed he was playing good football in Canada and opened the eyes of NFL recruiters,” Constantin said. His successes have helped the youngest children a lot.”