Marcel Reece is back. Like he never really left. Because he kind of didn’t. The former Pro Bowl fullback has taken a role with the team as a senior advisor to owner Mark Davis the team announced Friday.
According to a statement by Davis, Reece will be reporting directly to him and team president Marc Badain as well as helping to develop, implement, and manage several programs the team has planned.
Reece was one of a handful of players who were with the team during the previous regime under late owner Al Davis and the new regime under Mark and GM Reggie McKenzie.
Those were some lean years, to say the least, and for a time Reece was the only Pro Bowl player the Raiders had.
The former wide receiver and tight end joined the team in 2009 and soon found his place on the team as a full back.
Reece was a ‘joker’ for the Raiders, catching passes out of the backfield. Between 2010 and 2015, he would catch over 200 passes for nearly 2000 yards and was named the three straight Pro Bowls from 2012-14.
Following the 2015 season, at the age of 30, he was let go in favor of newcomer Jamize Olawale. But Reece never really left.
“Four years ago I wrote a letter addressing Raider Nation and closed it with ‘this is not goodbye, but see you later’,” Reece said in a statement. “Well later is here! I am honored to take on this new challenge with the Raiders organization and look forward to bringing a different perspective to the table. We have the opportunity for a fresh start in a new city and this is the right time for new creative ways of thinking. I have seen the commitment by management to evolve the culture and take the club in new directions. I am extremely excited to be a part of that evolution. I am committed to bringing the same passion and excellence off the field that I had on the field in my eight seasons with this organization.”
Over the years since he retired following the 2016 season Reece could regularly be seen around team events and at games, often sporting his Al Davis T-shirt.
It was Reece’s first season as an NFL starting fullback that Al Davis passed, so the late owner obviously meant a great deal to him.
With his consistent presence around the team, it makes sense that they would find a role for him.
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