The Washington Commanders hire Al Bellamy as their new Head Athletic Trainer

Washington got a new scandal last season when Head Athletic Trainer Ryan Vermillion was placed on administrative leave following raids by the DEA and an investigation into the distribution of prescription drugs. There have not been many updates about the case, and Vermillion’s legal status, but Head Coach Ron Rivera and the team have been quietly moving on from him since the initial shocking reports came out.

Rivera worked with Vermillion while they were both with the Carolina Panthers and brought him to Washington as part of the Carolina North wave in 2020. The team seemed to be healthier during his first year in Washington, and dealt with some major injuries/slash recoveries after Vermillion’s departure. Washington turned to Greg Smith, the former Head Athletic trainer for the Washington Capitals; Mark McCracken, and a handful of interns to fill in for Vermillion and his assistant Doug Quon.

Ron Rivera has been saying for the last few months that Washington was looking for Vermillion’s replacement, and said they were interviewing a handful of candidates last month. The Washington Commanders have now officially hired Al Bellamy to be their new Head Athletic Trainer. He was the director of athletic training for the University of Temple for the last nine years, and had 25 years experience in the NFL prior to that, including 13 years in Washington and 12 years in Detroit, where he worked with GM Martin Mayhew.

Bellamy started his NFL career as an assistant trainer in Washington in 1988. He was a member of Washington’s medical staff when the team won Super Bowl XXVI at the end of the 1991 season. Bellamy worked with 21 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame including Morten Anderson, Champ Bailey, Bobby Beathard, Fred Dean, Edward DeBartolo, Joe Gibbs, Darrell Green, Russ Grimm, Charles Haley, Michael Irvin, Ronnie Lott, Bobby Mitchell, Art Monk, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Charley Sanders, Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith, Charley Taylor, Emmitt Thomas and Bill Walsh.