Buffalo Bills hire Marissa Figueroa, first FT female ATC in franchise history

The Buffalo Bills have officially added Marissa Figueroa as the newest member of their athletic training staff.

Figueroa, who was an intern with the team’s athletic training staff for the past two seasons, is the first female to become a full-time assistant athletic trainer in franchise history.

Figueroa was part of the staff that was honored in their response to the on-field medical emergency that involved the resuscitation of Damar Hamlin on January 2 of this year. In addition, she put in work to earn the respect of the Bills’ staff and be given the opportunity to be one of the lead trainers assigned to assist cornerback Tre’Davious White in his recovery and return from an ACL tear that sidelined him for an entire 12 months after an in-game injury on Thanksgiving Day 2021.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane said that Figueroa’s strength is that she makes herself available to the staff showing up early and staying late to ensure that the players are getting the care they need to get back on the field.

“I would say in year two, you can really tell if they have what it takes or not,” Beane discussed knowing it was time to bring Figueroa on full-time and is quoted as saying in a statement released by the team. “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.”

Prior to her time in Buffalo, Figueroa was an athletic trainer at UC Davis where she worked with both the football and lacrosse teams. She also spent part of 2018 as an intern with the Los Angeles Chargers.

“Marissa is not afraid of the moment,” Beane went on to say about Figueroa, who is a native of Corona, CA and earned her masters degree from California Baptist University, “She blends in well with our young players and with our veterans on the team.”