The Buffalo Bills have made a historic hire in the form of Marissa Figueroa, who has been appointed as their new assistant athletic trainer to mark the first time they’ve hired a female as a full-time athletic trainer.
Marissa had been working with the team as an intern since 2021 and has now been promoted to a permanent position.
“The first thing you notice about Marissa is her positive attitude,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said. “She’s always around and available to help out, and that’s what you need in this industry.
“You show up here early in the morning and Marissa is here. Late in the day, she’s here as well. She loves being around, and you can tell she’s got passion for the job. Marissa is not afraid of the moment. She blends in well with our young players and with our veterans on the team.”
The Bills also tweeted a timeline of Marissa’s accomplishments, showing she worked as an intern with the Los Angeles Chargers, starting in 2018, before taking up an internship in Buffalo in 2021.
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Figueroa also worked as an athletic trainer at UC Davis from 2019 to 2021, where she dealt with both the men’s football team and the women’s lacrosse team.
She’s now set to join a training staff that saved Damar Hamlin’s life earlier this year following the safety’s on-field cardiac arrest suffered during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in early January.
Assistant athletic trainer Danny Kellington immediately realized how dire the situation was and gave the player CPR that saved his life. Hamlin has since been cleared to return to football.
