NFL team hires Marissa Figueroa assistant athletic trainer
The Buffalo Bills have announced the hiring of Marissa Figueroa as their newest assistant athletic trainer. She is the first woman to become a full-time athletic trainer in franchise history.
Figueroa is already quite familiar with the Bills as she has been a part of their training staff since 2021 serving as an athletic training intern. Bills general manager Brandon Beane said Figueroa has put in the hard work to deserve an opportunity like this early in her career.
“The first thing you notice about Marissa is her positive attitude,” Beane shared. “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.”
Figueroa has also worked as an athletic trainer at University of California Davis from 2019-2021 and did an athletic training internship with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2018. At UC Davis, she worked with the football and women’s lacrosse teams.
As an intern with the Bills, Figueroa quickly gained the respect of the training staff and earned her way into opportunities like being one of the lead trainers to help cornerback Tre’Davious White recover from his ACL injury.
“I would say in year two, you can really tell if they have what it takes or not,” Beane said of knowing when they bring Figueroa on full-time. “And, Nate (Breske) started giving her even more responsibilities, whether it was stuff with our concussion protocols or other things. She was one of the lead dogs with Tre White’s recovery and his journey back. So just things like that, you probably wouldn’t put a first-year person on and that gives you a chance to really see if they have what it takes and if you’re going to hire a full-time person.
“Marissa is not afraid of the moment. She blends in well with our young players and with our veterans on the team.”
The trainer studied kinesiology at Humboldt State and got her masters degree in athletic training at California Baptist University. She is from Corona, California.
