ALAMEDA – Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio didn’t go into great detail about Marcel Reece being suspended four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, but he wasn’t happy with the outcome and certainly felt for his player.
“I’d prefer to let Marcel speak for himself when that time occurs,” Del Rio said Monday, roughly an hour after Reece’s suspension was announced. “I know he’s disappointed and doesn’t feel like it’s really justified.”
As of Monday afternoon, Reece hadn’t addressed the issue publicly.
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Reece appealed the suspension, and was dissatisfied with it being upheld. The suspension begins this week heading into Sunday’s game against Kansas City.
[RELATED: Raiders FB Marcel Reece suspended four games for PEDs]
“We were informed today that is the case,” Del Rio said. “I would hope that, at some point, the league takes a good look at that process to see if it makes sense. I think there is room there for something to be done that would be more fair and just."
Reece plays roughly 25 percent of the Raiders’ offensive snaps, and is primarily used as a receiver out of the backfield or in the slot.
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“It’ll be the next guy up. That’s what we do,” Del Rio said. “He’s obviously a good player, but he’s not a major part of what we do. It’s not like we’re taking out 50, 60 or 70 percent of our offense. We’ll get the next guy up and ready to roll. It means more (Jamize) Olawale, more Roy Helu and we’ll go from there.
“Marcel is a good player, which is why he made the Pro Bowl. We like having our good players available.”