Vikings Part Ways With Head Athletic Trainer Eric Sugarman After 16 Years

Former Vikings DE Ifeadi Odenigbo tweeted that Sugarman "was not a good man."

The Minnesota Vikings have parted ways with head athletic trainer and vice president of sports medicine Eric Sugarman, as first reported by the Star Tribune's Ben Goessling. Sugarman was one of the longest-tenured members of the organization, having been around since 2006.

This is yet another indication that new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell aren't afraid to shake things up and go in new directions. They overhauled almost the entire coaching staff after being hired and made some changes on the front office side as well.

Sugarman had been with the Vikings for 16 years, spanning three different head coaching regimes. He started out as an assistant athletic trainer for the Bears and Eagles, joining the Vikings when Rick Spielman and Brad Childress were hired in 2006. Sugarman was the team's head trainer for the entire Spielman era, sticking around when Leslie Frazier and then Mike Zimmer were hired as the team's head coach.

He was promoted to VP of sports medicine in 2018. In 2020 and 2021, Sugarman also served as the Vikings' infection control officer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the years, Sugarman became one of the most well-known head trainers in the NFL. His weekly donut club pictures became a big hit on Twitter and he accumulated 17.9K followers on the site. Sugarman also gained notoriety for helping Adrian Peterson come back from an ACL injury to win the 2012 MVP award and for his successful handling of Teddy Bridgewater's significant knee injury in 2016.

The @Vikings 🍩Club heads back to Cali. Lets go Vikes! @P2 @Cambeezy_ @mikepierce_97 @dalvincook @KJ_Osborn @andrewdepaola @AnthonyBarr @Bree2Land6 @AlexMattison22 @its_hollyWOODS #MentalHealthAwareness pic.twitter.com/kWnDfUZw5q

— Eric Sugarman (@EricSugarATC) November 27, 2021

However, there are indications that not every player was a fan of Sugarman's. After the news broke on Monday, former Vikings DE Ifeadi Odenigbo sent several tweets criticizing the team's former trainer.

"Eric Sugarman was not a good man so whatever narrative you guys think of him it’s been fabricated," Odenigbo tweeted.

"It was my rookie year with the Vikings," he continued in a different tweet. "I was put on practice squad during the season, I had a small injury and I wanted to get treatment, so I asked the trainers to see me. Eric Surgarman tells me 'I wish I got paid 6 [figures] to work 3 times a week' then he proceeded to ignore me. This [is] one of many stories and encounters people had with him on a regular [basis]."

Former Vikings Jeff Badet and Jaleel Johnson co-signed Odenigbo's sentiment via quote tweets or replies. It'll be interesting to see if other current or former players speak out as well.

The Vikings still have several medical staffers listed on their website, so they will presumably continue leading medical evaluations of draft prospects and working with current players until a new head athletic trainer is promoted or hired.

This story will be updated if additional details become available.

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