Caleb Kindle-Parrish was thrust into a huddle ahead of his very first game with the Commanders, and his adrenaline was at a high. It was his first emergency action plan meeting -- a gathering of medical staff and referees that takes place 60 minutes before every NFL kickoff. One by one, each member of the circle he stood in introduced themselves. It got to be his turn, and, slightly unsure of the next step, he locked eyes with a teammate he trusted.
"I make eye contact with Dr. Antonis, and I see him nod his head 'Yes' so I introduce myself, 'Caleb, medical student, Washington Commanders,'" Kindle-Parrish said. "I didn't know what to exactly do at that point, but I was glad to take part and be acknowledged as part of the team in that moment."
The moment captures what the NFL's Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline initiative is all about: allowing medical students to be truly immersed in what it's like to be on staff for an NFL club. During his month-long rotation with the Commanders, Kindle-Parrish, who is a fourth-year medical student at Howard University, learned the ins and outs of the medicine side of Washington football, taking with him plenty of lessons for his future in the field.
Football has long been an important part of Kindle-Parrish's life. He was born in Atlanta, where the priorities in his words are, "God, family and football." He started in the sport when he was around 5 or 6 years old and would play in college as a fullback at Howard. Football gave him many gifts that he finds himself continuously reflecting on.
"I met a lot of my best friends through the sport, learned a lot of life lessons, it just kind of really set the backbone for how I approach life, my discipline, the way I work towards achieving all my goals," Kindle-Parrish said.
In particular, going on to be a student-athlete at Howard imbued him with experiences and a certain perspective he deeply treasures and constantly reflects on in post-grad life.
"In terms of how it shaped me, just being around excellence every day," Kindle-Parrish said. "It's a historically Black institution, so it kind of provides the context of how African Americans have helped shape this nation and how we play our part in a modern context. It really just helped me navigate how I want to contribute as a Black American male in this world."
The fact that both of Kindle-Parrish's parents worked in healthcare was also a pivotal force in shaping his outlook on the world was. His mom was a nurse, and his dad was a doctor.
"That exposure early on but, as I got older, just realizing that I wanted to do something that's positive, something that's challenging and something where I can help people," he said. "I just figured medicine is kind of what I've seen people around me do, and it turns out I actually have enjoyed the journey for the most part."
That journey led Kindle-Parrish to Howard Medical School where he decided to specialize in emergency medicine. Driven by a desire to be great at his craft and learn from an environment that combined two of his passions, Kindle-Parrish applied for the NFL's Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative and joined the Commanders for a rotation in the beginning of the 2024 season. Kindle-Parrish hit the ground running in the rotation after Washington's last preseason game.
"My approach was to go in open-minded and just really learn what the day-to-day is like as a sports medicine physician at the highest level," Kindle-Parrish said. "I think being open, being sociable, talking to different people, I was really able to get a good perspective of all that goes into getting the athletes prepared from gameday to gameday each week."
The former athlete loved being in a sports environment again, noting it was something he "missed." During his time with the team, Kindle-Parrish spent a couple days in the Commanders' facility observing players alongside Dr. Annunziata and a couple days in the OrthoVirginia offices and surgery centers working with other team doctors. Getting to spend a large chunk of time with a few of the Commanders physicians in particular was invaluable to the future doctor.
"I was very fortunate to work with the only head team doctor in the NFL who is an emergency medicine doctor, Dr. Antonis," Kindle-Parrish said. "It was great to be able to pick his brain and talk about strategies. Both him and Dr. Annunziata, just having not only conversations about medicine and sports medicine, but just life in general, they both were really great examples and role models of how I want to approach my career and how to approach life."
Just like the players who make it to the pros, Washington's doctors are at the top of the game. It was clear to Kindle-Parrish, too, that these talented folks truly loved their jobs. Being around that infectious energy left an impression on him that was perhaps just as impactful as the tangible skills gained.
"Just being around people who are really doing what they love every single day, and they're able to keep a good attitude about it, I think was my favorite part," Kindle-Parrish said. "You can really tell because of how people talk about what they do. I really love that aspect. I want to be that way."
