The 2-2 Washington Football Team will prepare for its upcoming home game against the New Orleans Saints without their full training staff, after head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion was placed on administrative leave in connection with a federal criminal investigation.
The WFT said in a statement that the investigation involving Vermillion “is unrelated to the Team,” according to NBC4, which broke the story.
NBC4 reported Monday that the home of Vermillion, who’s in his 20th season on an NFL staff, was searched by federal investigators on Friday. That same day, DEA agents also raided the team’s training complex in Ashburn, Va., according to The Associated Press.
At this point, the nature of the investigation involving Vermillion is not clear. No one has been charged or arrested in connection with the inquiry. Vermillion’s lawyer declined to comment to NBC4.
Washington Football Team Head Coach Ron Rivera hired Vermillion prior to last season from the Carolina Panthers, where the two had spent nine seasons together, according to The Associated Press. “The only thing I can say about Ryan is, I know who Ryan is,” Rivera told NBC4. “Last year I trusted Ryan with my health, and I would do it again.”
Luke Mullins is a senior writer at Washingtonian magazine focusing on the people and institutions that control the city’s levers of power. He has written about the Koch Brothers’ attempt to take over The Cato Institute, David Gregory’s ouster as moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press, the collapse of Washington’s Metro system, and the conflict that split apart the founders of Politico.
