Former Seahawk, Husky Marcel Reece to lead USA flag football
A recent hire has positioned a former Husky and Seahawk to play a key role for the USA flag football team ahead of the sport's Olympic debut in 2028.
Marcel Reece, who played two seasons for the Huskies from 2006 to 2007 and one season with the Seahawks in 2016 at the end of his NFL career, was named the senior vice president of football strategy and operations for USA Football on Thursday.
USA Football is the national governing body for flag football, which will debut at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The International Olympic Committee approved the addition of the sport, which will feature men's and women's tournaments, in 2023.
USA Football is responsible for selecting and training the U.S. teams for the Olympics. In his new role, Reece will oversee the football operation at USA Football, which includes driving the strategy of the organization's national team program and Olympic pathways, among other responsibilities.
Reece had previously been working for USA Football as a strategic adviser. The new job will transition him to a full-time executive role.
Before working with USA Football, Reece was in charge of operations at Allegiant Stadium as a senior vice president and chief strategy officer for the Raiders. Reece, an All-Pro fullback, spent eight of his 10 seasons in the NFL with the Raiders when they were still in Oakland.
During the spring league meeting in 2025, NFL owners passed a resolution 32-0 paving the way for athletes to compete for a gold medal.
There are big differences between the NFL and flag football. Most notably, there's no contact in flag football. Five players from each team are on the field at a time, with a 10-person squad. The fields are 70x25 yards with 10-yard end zones on each side and matches feature 40 minutes of game time, split into two halves.
The sport has a significant presence in Seattle starting at the youth level. The Seahawks have programming that helps grow the sport locally, including the Seahawks Flag Football League.
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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 5:05 PM.