Strange things have been afoot with Washington Football Team recently.
The team was preparing to take on the Atlanta Falcons last weekend when DEA agents raided their practice facility in Ashburn, Virginia as well as the home of head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion. Vermillion was placed on administrative leave and did not travel to Atlanta for the game.
WFT won the game and improved to 2-2 on the NFL season. However, that’s not what anyone really wanted to talk about afterward, especially considering head coach Ron Rivera worked with Vermillion in Carolina and both came over to Washington last year together. While the franchise declined to comment beyond their initial statement, Rivera was asked about the situation on Tuesday during an appearance on 106.7 The Fan.
“Hey coach, we know the organization’s dealing with an issue with the trainer and I’m sure more details will come out eventually,” host Eric Bickel said. “But what do you say to the people that say there’s always a black cloud over Washington, over Ashburn?”
“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.”
When pressed further about what happened during the raid, Rivera reminded the hosts that he couldn’t talk about it, but he did note where he was when it happened.
“Guys, I can’t talk about this. This is a legal matter,” Rivera said. “And quite honestly, I wasn’t there. I had literally just left to get my car washed.”
Things have been going relatively well for the franchise since they finally changed their name to WFT. They won the NFC East last year and are currently in second place with a long way to go. However, while Rivera and the team will try to avoid talking about what happened, that’s going to be harder to do as more details begin to emerge.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.