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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice has officially been suspended six games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
The suspension stems from his two third-degree felony charges from a March 2024 crash on a Dallas highway. Rice was charged with collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury, which he pleaded guilty to last month.
Rice is set to miss the team’s first six games of the year, starting with their season kickoff in Brazil against the Los Angeles Chargers.
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FILE-Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) catches a pass during OTAs on May 24, 2023, at the team’s training facility in Kansas City, Missouri. (Tammy Ljungblad/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Rice is not expected to appeal his suspension, which comes from the league after its own investigation into his criminal charges. As part of Rice’s plea agreement, he received five-year deferred probation and 30 days in jail as a condition of the probation.
Rice’s jail time is said to be flexible, according to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.
There was an arbitration hearing scheduled for Sept. 30 at the league’s headquarters in New York in front of federal Judge Sue L. Robinson to discuss the suspension. That date would’ve allowed Rice to play the first few weeks of the Chiefs’ season, but this suspension negates that now.
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Rice won’t just miss the Chiefs’ AFC West matchup overseas but also Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles in a Super Bowl LIX rematch, which will serve as Kansas City’s home opener.
The Chiefs will also be without Rice against the New York Giants (Week 3), Baltimore Ravens (Week 4), Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 5), and Detroit Lions (Week 6).
Rice is eligible to return to the Chiefs’ sideline in Week 7 when they face the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 19.
The 25-year-old receiver said in a statement issued by his attorney that he’s had “a lot of sleepless nights thinking about the damages my actions caused, and I will continue working within my means to make sure that everyone impacted will be made whole.”
FILE – Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) before an AFC West matchup between the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 12, 2023 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
He also had a brief availability during Chiefs training camp, where he was allowed to practice heading into the year.
“I’ve completely changed,” he told reporters. “You have to learn from things like that. All I can focus on is what I can control right now and that’s me doing what I do.”
Rice was the driver of a Lamborghini Urus that was going 119 mph on the North Central Expressway in Dallas when he made “multiple aggressive maneuvers around traffic” before crashing into other vehicles, according to prosecutors. Rice did not check on those vehicles involved in the crash and decided to flee the scene on foot.
Rice is also being required to pay the victims for their out-of-pocket medical expenses, which totaled around $115,000, as part of his plea agreement.
FILE – Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) before an NFL game between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 5, 2024, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missiouri. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The SMU product had a breakout rookie campaign in 2023, which helped Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs collect another Super Bowl trophy, this time against the San Francisco 49ers.
But Rice wasn’t able to play a full season in 2024, suffering an LCL tear after Mahomes fell into him trying to make a tackle after an interception by the Chargers in Week 4.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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