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- The Washington Football Team’s head trainer has been placed on leave over an ongoing investigation by the D.E.A.
- As part of the investigation, the Team’s facility was raided last week.
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The Washington Football Team’s training facility was raided by federal investigators last week, per exclusive reporting from NBC Sports Washington. As a result of an ongoing criminal investigation, the team’s head athletic trainer is on leave.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at the INOVA Sports Performance Center in Ashburn and a nearby home in Loudoun County on Friday. Residents of the complex said that they saw multiple U.S. Drug Enforcement agents on-site.
Details of the warrant are unclear at this time, but it is likely connected to Ryan Vermillion, the WFT’s director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer. As of now, it does not have anything to do with the organization itself.
The Football Team provided a brief statement:
“Ryan Vermillion has been placed on administrative leave due to an ongoing criminal investigation that is unrelated to the team.”
Vermillion could not be reached for comment by NBC Sports Washington and it is unclear whether he has a lawyer.
The 58-year-old spent 18 seasons as the head trainer with the Carolina Panthers before being hired by the WFT. Nine of those seasons were spent with Ron Rivera, who is now the head coach in Washington.
Rivera spoke exclusively with NBC Sports’ JP Finlay about the ongoing incident and said that he trusts Vermillion.
After today’s bombshell news of WFT trainer Ryan Vermillion being placed on leave, Ron Rivera tells me, ‘I know who Ryan is and last year I trusted Ryan with my health and I would do it again.’ More to come on @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/cZfXrDEpyo
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) October 4, 2021
The investigation has been going on since at least training camp over the summer. Several people on the team have reportedly been contacted by the feds about the investigation.
This was Vermillion’s second season with Washington after essentially joining Rivera when he was hired as head coach. He did not travel with the team for this past Sunday’s game.
There seems to be a lot more to this story, which is still developing.