'It's close to my heart': KC Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire in nursing school

The Kansas City Chiefs are preparing for the divisional round of the NFL playoffs this weekend with a road matchup against the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills. It's the sixth year in a row that the Chiefs have made it at least this far in the NFL playoffs and the postseason comes with extra preparation.

Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire will have to work around that extra preparation this week. Edwards-Helaire said to local media outlet KSHB after practice Wednesday that he's currently attending nursing school after starting last fall.

Chiefs running back on nursing school and family

"It's something that I've been pursuing since I started college but I wasn't able to do the nursing things (in college)," Edwards-Helaire explained. "I wasn't necessarily planning on leaving early but I had the opportunity to... It's close to my heart."

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Edwards-Helaire's mother went to nursing school after serving in the Army, per The Advocate. She had a daughter, Maddee, while in school who was later diagnosed with congenital muscular dystrophy. Maddee, now 16, has been a local ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) for years. Edwards-Helaire highlighted the MDA in 2021 for the NFL's My Cause My Cleats initiative during Weeks 13 and 14.

Edwards-Helaire credits his fiancée JoJo O'Conner with helping him manage his school. "She's helping me with the scheduling ordeal and all that's been a headache," he said.

In a recent video posted to the Chiefs' TikTok account, Edwards-Helaire first revealed he'd gone back to school in arguing why he should be the go-to babysitter on the team. "I'm back in school for nursing so I can handle any medical emergencies," he said.

Many fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, were supportive of Edwards-Helaire after learning what he's been doing outside of football.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire on and off the field

Edwards-Helaire majored in sports administration in his four years at LSU. After winning the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship with the Tigers, the Chiefs selected him with the 32nd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

He started 23 games over his first two seasons but transitioned to a shared backfield role with starting running back Isiah Pacheco last year as the Chiefs won their second Super Bowl in four seasons. He's set to be a free agent after the NFL postseason finishes.

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However his football career ends up from here, he's confident he has his future sorted out.

“Football is football but I know for my profession what I want to do for the rest of my life," he told KSHB. "If y’all need some shots or an IV, holler at ya boy."