Oct 13, 2021WFT Assistant ATC Put on Leave Amid DEA Investigation
The Washington Football Team has placed assistant athletic trainer Doug Quon on administrative leave while the organization is under investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), according to a report from ESPN.
Although the specific reasoning has been released, the decision from the NFL team comes on the heels of a report from the Washington Post that head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion is under investigation for “possible disbursement of prescription drugs.”
Quon joined the Washington training staff in 2014 and is in his eighth season with the team. He had also spent time earlier in his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs. Like Quon, Vermillion is also on administrative leave.
During a recent press conference WFT head coach Ron Rivera, expressed support for Vermillion, saying that he trusted Ryan with his health previously — referring to his remission from squamous cell carcinoma last year — and he would do it again.
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
According to the Washington Post’s report, roughly two dozen DEA agents raided the home of a Vermillion and his office at Washington’s training facility.
A report from NBC Washington states there’s nothing that links any WFT players to the allegations around Vermillion. Additionally, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) sent a letter to the league’s certified player agents noting that one player “has been contacted by federal investigators.”
The NFLPA has begun reaching out to player agents regarding the investigation into Washington Football Team head trainer Ryan Vermillion. pic.twitter.com/NaM2AJP0gq
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) October 7, 2021
Vermillion was placed on leave at the beginning of the week, with the WFT releasing a statement.
“Ryan Vermillion has been placed on administrative leave due to an ongoing criminal investigation that is unrelated to the team,” a statement from the organization read.
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Vermillion is in his second season as Washington’s head athletic trainer. He spent the previous 18 seasons as the head athletic trainer for the Carolina Panthers, where he worked under Washington’s current coach Ron Rivera.
