It has been a long journey for Kansas City Chiefs' offensive guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who has spent the past eight years – four of which while playing in the NFL – as a medical student at McGill University in his native Montreal.

As of May 29, he's Doctor Duvernay-Tardif.

The former sixth-round pick, who has started 38 games for Kansas City over the last four seasons, discussed the accomplishment with ESPN.com.  

"It's been eight years that I've been working for that moment," Duvernay-Tardif said. "Since the day I got drafted, I promised myself I was going to finish my studies and get that M.D. while I was still playing. It's one of those life projects that you promise yourself you're going to accomplish, and I'm on the verge of doing it, so I'm pretty excited."

Though after graduation, it's back to football for the foreseeable future.

"Right now, football is my main priority," Duvernay-Tardif told ESPN. "I want to focus and see how good I can be. I'm putting medicine on hold in order to really maximize my opportunity in the NFL. I love playing football."

He's made the most of that opportunity so far, allowing just two sacks over the past two seasons according to Pro Football Focus.

If that wasn't enough, Duvernay-Tardif even tried his hand at reporting this offseason as a correspondent for the Canadian Broadcasting Cooperation in PyeongChang, South Korea, covering the Winter Olympic Games.

And now after eight years of rigorous study, Doctor Duvernay-Tardif can add yet another accomplishment to his ever-growing resume.