Looking at Rashee Rice’s potentially problematic offseason

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice had about as successful a rookie season as humanly possible in the NFL in 2023. He became an integral part of his team’s offense, and was an important cog on a Super Bowl winning team. However, he finds himself in a possible troublesome situation this offseason. All football statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

Without the structure of an NFL schedule in the early part of the offseason, players are free to spend time where they please, as they please. Rashee Rice spent his childhood in a Fort Worth suburb of Texas, which is the area he returned to when the 2023 season concluded.

In late March 2024, there was a crash in Dallas involving six cars. According to Yahoo Sports, a couple was injured in the incident when two cars slammed into their white Lexus. An ESPN report indicates that two others were also injured. Shortly after the accident, NBC 5 Dallas reported that the Dallas police were looking for Rice in connection with the event.

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Rice would meet with Dallas authorities a couple of days after the car crash, and posted an update to his social media account. “Today (April 3), I met with Dallas PD investigators regarding the incident. I take full responsibility for my part in this matter and will continue to cooperate with the necessary authorities. I sincerely apologize to everyone impact in the accident.”

Rice’s statement made the public wonder exactly what he was apologizing for. The New York Post reported that there were two cars racing one another which caused the collision, a Lamborghini and a Corvette. They reported that Rice was leasing the Lamborghini, and that he owned the Corvette.

USA Today reported that not only was Rice’s name attributed to both vehicles; he was behind the wheel of the Lamborghini at the time of the crash. According to Rice’s attorney Royce West, Rice communicated that to police when they met.

An ESPN report breaks down the details of the accident. The Lamborghini and the Corvette were racing in the farthest left lane of North Central Expressway, when Rice and the Corvette’s driver lost control of their vehicles. Rice’s car hit the center median wall, which in turn caused the Lamborghini to slam into other cars, causing a chain-reaction crash.

Via the New York Post, Rice’s attorney said, “He’s a young man that made a mistake. He will do everything in his power to bring their life back to as normal as possible in terms of injuries, in terms of property damage.”

It does not appear as if Rice suffered any injuries during the crash in late March, which indicates that he should be fully physically healthy for the start of the NFL season.

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Rice’s lawyer, Royce West, believes that Rice will face charges from Dallas’ District Attorney’s Office, according to USA Today. According to Yahoo Sports, the couple injured in the accident has retained an attorney and may also look to sue Rice.

As fans might expect, the league is paying very close attention to the circumstances of this case. NFL vice president of communications Brian McCarthy confirmed as much to ESPN. ESPN’s Ryan Clark posted on X that Rice’s actions in this matter are “a handbook on what not to do.”

While it looks like Rice himself and others involved in the accident are fortunately going to walk away, this incident reminds fans of an event a couple of years ago that ended tragically. Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs was sentenced three to 10 years in prison for a crash that killed a woman and her dog. The incident happened in 2021.

It’s going to be interesting to see if the NFL hearkens back to the Ruggs situation to determine what punishment, if any, Rice receives for his role in this crash. Yahoo Sports wrote that Rice didn’t learn from the past, but maybe other players will learn from him.

In his first year in the NFL, Rice posted 79 catches for 938 yards and seven touchdowns. Perhaps his most memorable came in the Wild Card Round against the Miami Dolphins, where he snagged eight catches for 130 yards and a touchdown.

Rice emerged as a preferred target for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, as Fox Sports called him the Chiefs’ best wide receiver. If he were to miss any part of the NFL season, it would be a huge loss for Kansas City.

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Rashee Rice played his college football at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. During his four seasons with the program, he caught 233 passes for 3,111 yards and 25 touchdowns.