Las Vegas Raiders

Oakland Raiders Release Marcel Reece

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Oakland Raiders have released long-time fullback Marcel Reece.

After keeping the active roster at 52 players for the first three weeks of the regular season, the presumption was that the Raiders were keeping that last spot open for Reece, who was suspended for the first three games.

Guess not.

Reece was released today, with word first coming via Adam Schefter.

The timing of the release is interesting, considering word of the suspension came during the end of the 2015 regular season, as Reece was suspended for the final game of the year.

Then Reece was employed by the Raiders throughout the entire offseason and he even played in the preseason. So they had plenty of chances to release him, but decided to wait until his suspension was over.

The team released a statement to announce the transaction, in which Reggie McKenzie and Jack Del Rio are both quoted.

McKenzie:

“I want to thank Marcel as a player and as a person for all that he has given to the Oakland Raiders,” said General Manager Reggie McKenzie. “What he has meant to the organization and to me over the past few years is hard to put into words, but his actions, both on and off the field, speak louder than any words can. This was a tough decision. Not enough can be said about Marcel’s commitment to his teammates and his pride in the Raiders, and we wish him and his family nothing but the best.”

Del Rio:

“Marcel was a great teammate and I appreciate him as a player on the field and as a man off the field,” said Head Coach Jack Del Rio. “I wish him all the best moving forward.”

Reece was a four-time Pro Bowler, a former team captain, and was in his ninth season with Oakland.

An undrafted free agent out of Washington in 2008, Reece has carved out quite the career for himself, becoming one of, if not the best fullback in the NFL for a period of time.

But in 2015, he was outplayed by Jamize Olawale, who impressed enough to earn a contract extension. The team clearly feels that Olawale can now carry that role on a full-time basis.