The franchise hosted its second annual Alumni Wellness Weekend, with many former players returning for another year based off the success of the year prior, such as former receiver Jacoby Ford.
The weekend isn't just confined to Alumni, but family is welcomed as well. Ford brought his wife with him last year and made his mother his plus one this year.
The former speedster, with nine total touchdowns in his Raiders career, soaked in every moment during the weekend from chatting and cracking jokes with his former teammates to sharing a word with a few legends in attendance, like Super Bowl MVPs Jim Plunkett and Marcus Allen.
All in all, Ford felt like he was just one of the boys again.
"It's healing for us because we'll always miss the game," he said, "but one thing we always appreciate is getting back together and now we get to combine generations as well."
Once a Raider, Always a Raider isn't just a slogan, but a serious mantra taken on by the franchise and its alumni department, which provides innovative and productive ways to care for players.
"This weekend is a reflection of the Raiders' enduring commitment to our alumni," Raiders President Sandra Douglass Morgan said. "Their legacy goes beyond the field, and our responsibility is to ensure they have access to the tools and resources needed to thrive in life after football."
The Wellness Weekend was packed with a range of activities for the players and families. The three-day event featured several opportunities for former players to be educated on the resources at their disposal for their mental and physical health as well as financial stability. This included a Wellness Expo at The M Resort, and various wellness workshops with health professionals.
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"We want to provide benefits and services to help players thrive in life after football," said Zamir Cobb, a former NFL receiver who now serves as the executive director of The Trust powered by the NFLPA. The Trust was one of the dozens of vendors in attendance at the Wellness Expo.
"Oftentimes players unfortunately feel forgotten, and those feelings are real," Cobb said. "To have an event where players can reconnect with other players as well as getting the support they need to help them thrive post-career is important."
The nights provided more laid-back events – a comedy show with an appearance by Head Coach Pete Carroll and a competitive evening playing pickleball near Raiders Headquarters.
Health screenings were also offered to all attendants, which included cardiovascular, prostate and mental health screenings. They also conducted Mammovan breast cancer screenings for women in attendance.
"A part of it is about convenience," said Andrew Jo, executive director for the NFL Player Care Foundation. "Bringing [the screenings] to the Wellness Weekend allows players and their spouses to go from event to event and having that available on site not only catches them up to where they are but makes it convenient as well. … I think the Raiders are definitely a special group in how they treat and take care of their Alumni."
The Wellness Weekend is just one of the many initiatives the Raiders make toward catering to their Alumni, but has become one of the more celebrated programs any team offers. The hope is in due time, more NFL clubs follow this path that the organization has paved.
"I don't think any other organization takes care of their Alumni or their players the way that the Raiders have been doing," Ford said. "Just to be able to bring the guys back together and to have that camaraderie and to have that locker room feeling again is always good."
