Women continue to make strides in sports and pave their way into the NFL.
The Buffalo Bills made history by hiring Marissa Figueroa as a full-time staff member, more specifically as an assistant athletic trainer.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, she’s now the first woman to become a full-time ATC in the history of the franchise.
The #Bills have hired Marissa Figueroa as an assistant athletic trainer—the first woman to become a full-time ATC in franchise history.
Figueroa, who joined Buffalo as an intern in 2021, was among the staff members honored in January for saving Damar Hamlin’s life. pic.twitter.com/2m0CHKmm11
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 11, 2023
Notably, Figueroa was one of the staff members who were honored earlier in the year for helping save the life of Damar Hamlin after he collapsed on the field during their game versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
She joined the Bills as an intern in 2021 after studying kinesiology at Humboldt State and getting her master’s degree in athletic training at California Baptist University.
Figueroa already had some NFL experience after also serving as an intern for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2018.
She later took her talents to UC Davis to help the football and women’s lacrosse teams.
Furthermore, it’s also worth noting that this hire/promotion is an expansion of the Bills’ full-time athletic training staff.
This was long overdue, and it’s nice to see how doors are opening for more women to pursue a career in professional sports.
Props to the Bills for making this historic hire, and to Figueroa for all the hard work, and also for helping prevent a historic tragedy with the Damar Hamlin situation.
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