Sherels teams up with Thielen on new Rochester sports facility
After returning five punts to the house in his career (only thirteen men in the history of the NFL have more), Marcus Sherels returned home Sunday.
“Every time I’m back, I see something new,” said Sherels. “I’m like, ‘what is that?’ New restaurant here, new apartment building there, and it’s cool. It was a great city to grow up in, and I still love it here. It’ll always be home.”
Sherels was noncommittal about his future in the NFL, after bouncing between New Orleans, Miami and Minnesota during the 2019 campaign. The 32-year-old is still listed on the Vikings’ 53-man roster, but the contract he signed in January will expire at the end of the 2019 “league year” on March 18.
“We’ll see,” said Sherels. “I’m taking some time to myself this offseason, and I’ll make a decision at some point.”
Regardless of whether or not Sherels plays in the NFL again, he’s firmly established as one of the best return men in Vikings history. Sherels currently holds Vikings franchise records for total punt returns, yards, and touchdowns. He gave credit to coaching and training staff through all levels — including JM’s — for his success, but now wants to make his own mark as the city grows.
“If we want Rochester to be the destination city that we all strive for, then athletic success in high school and clubs is one of the first steps in recruiting for that process,” said Sherels. “With that, we’ll create ambassadors for the city who can come back and say, ‘hey, we’re from Rochester.’”
Sherels made the comments at the grand opening of ETS Performance, a gym he co-owns with Thielen under the direction of ETS founder Ryan Engelbert. Thielen, a Detroit Lakes native with a well-documented journey to the NFL, has worked with ETS since the first branch’s opening in 2010. (The company has now grown considerably, with Rochester marking branch number ten.)
Sherels said the desire to start a gym was there from the beginning, when he and Thielen were both special teamers for the Vikings in the mid-2010s.
“Adam and I had been talking about doing this for quite some time,” said Sherels. “We joked about it in the locker room, about possibly opening up a gym of our own, and now’s the time.”
Sherels said Thielen will visit the new facility in the near future.
Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.
