Monday brought word that the Washington Football Team’s head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion has been placed on administrative leave due to an ongoing criminal investigation unrelated to the team.
Head coach Ron Rivera, who worked with Vermillion in Carolina before both men came to Washington last year, declined further comment on Monday by pointing to the statement. During a Tuesday appearance on 106.7 The Fan, Rivera was asked about a visit from federal agents to the team’s facility related to the investigation. He declined comment into a “legal matter” and said he was out having his car washed at the time of the raid.
Rivera’s first two years with the organization have seen other tumult, including a fine from the NFL for workplace misconduct, settlement of a lawsuit from cheerleaders whose images were used in a lewd video, and owner Daniel Snyder stepping down from his role in day-to-day operations of the franchise. Rivera was asked what he would “say to the people that say there’s always a black cloud” over the team.
“Well that’s what we’re trying to correct, that’s what we’re trying to fix, but for whatever reason, we just keep getting drawn back into things,” Rivera said. “So, guys, at the end of the day, we’re gonna let this play out and we’ll trust in the system. And we’ll go from there.”
Rivera won a division title last year and the team’s off to a 2-2 start this season, so things have gone better on the field even as some of the off-field issues continue to play out.