Ryan Vermillion
Episode 74
29 JUNE 2020
The Head Athletic Trainer for the NFL’s Washington Redskins, having started in that role in January. He had spent the previous 18 seasons as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Carolina Panthers. Before that he had been the Redskins’ Director of Rehabilitation for one year after having started his NFL career with the Miami Dolphins for nine seasons.
Notable guest quotes:
“I get a lot of help from the Heavenly Father everyday, because the amount of stress, the amount of work, that the league has put on the head athletic trainers, in making us the infection control officers for your team, if I didn’t have the Lord, if I didn’t have Mass, if I didn’t have daily Mass, if I didn’t have someplace to go and ask for help, I’m not sure I could do this.”
“It’s been a difficult time. It’s been a challenging time. But with my prayer life and with the love that I know that I have from God, I can do this. And it’s something that I thank Him for everyday.”
“I was born and raised Catholic… My mother and father are… both born and raised Catholic… I went to Blessed Sacrament (elementary school)… There’s four of us. I’m the third. There’s three boys and then I have a sister younger than I am.”
“I went to St. John’s High School in northwest Washington, D.C. At that time it was an all-boy Catholic military school.”
“The CIA moved my father back down to Miami. So, I went to St. Brendan’s High School, a small Catholic school.”
“My First Communion and my First Communion preparation was done by my mother and father, who were great influences on me in the Catholic church.”
“I like challenges. I like to challenge myself mentally, spiritually, physically… So I set up a challenge of going to daily Mass.”
“Not just the rehabbing, early on… I talk to (the players) about gaining their strength from God.”
“I have kids coming from all over the United States and all of a sudden there’s a melting pot of 70 of them in my athletic training room — different religions, different faiths, different denominations. It’s an interesting thing. But they all want to hear about God and they want to hear about how God will give them strength.”
“Those first few weeks after surgery are their lowest points. And I always tell them, God will not give you anything that you cannot handle. He knows what you can handle better than you know what you can handle.”
“I’m fortunate I just married the right girl. And, she and I say the rosary together. She and I go to daily Mass together… She is my rock… She just makes sure I’m keepin’ the faith.”
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