KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice has been suspended six games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, keeping him out of a series of high-profile games starting with next week’s season opener against the Chargers in Brazil.
Rice pleaded guilty about six weeks ago to two third-degree felony charges of collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury. As part of his plea agreement from the March 2024 crash on a Dallas highway, prosecutors said, Rice also received a sentence of five years of deferred probation and 30 days in jail as a condition of his probation.
The NFL handed down its suspension, which Rice will not appeal, after its own internal investigation. It voids a Sept. 30 hearing before former federal Judge Sue L. Robinson that was scheduled for the NFL’s headquarters in New York.
Along with missing the Chargers game, Rice will miss a Super Bowl rematch with the Eagles on Sept. 14 at Arrowhead Stadium; a Sunday night trip to New York to face the Giants; a high-profile matchup with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens on Sept. 28; a game against Jacksonville the following Monday night; and a Sunday night showdown with the Lions.
Rice will be eligible to return to the field when Kansas City faces the AFC West rival Raiders on Oct. 19.
The Chiefs did not make Rice nor coach Andy Reid available Wednesday. Rice also was not at their final practice before Sunday, when the Chiefs go into their game-week schedule to prepare for the Friday night matchup with the Chargers.
“We’re just going to go out there, trust what the coaches put on our plates, whatever game plan we have regardless of who is in there,” tight end Noah Gray said Wednesday. “I’m extremely confident in all the guys.”
Rice’s status has been in limbo ever since he was driving a Lamborghini Urus SUV at 119 mph (191 kph) on the North Central Expressway, made “multiple aggressive maneuvers around traffic” and struck other vehicles, prosecutors said. After the crash, Rice did not check on the welfare of those in the other vehicles but instead fled on foot.
Rice 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.”
The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office said the 25-year-old Rice will have some flexibility in when he must serve his jail time. He also was required to pay the victims for their out-of-pocket medical expenses, which totaled about $115,000.
“I’ve completely changed. You have to learn from things like that,” Rice said during a brief media availability in training camp. “All I can focus on is what I can control right now and that’s me doing what I do.”
After a breakout rookie season, Rice was on his way to a memorable follow-up last fall, catching 24 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns in his first three games. But in Week 4, after Patrick Mahomes had thrown an interception, the QB accidentally dived into Rice’s leg as they were trying to make a tackle, tearing the lateral collateral ligament in his knee.
Rice wound up missing the rest of the season, including a loss to Philadelphia in the Super Bowl.
He spent the offseason rehabbing the knee, and Rice was ready to participate in the Chiefs’ offseason program. But under terms of the suspension, Rice now will be barred from the practice facility until the middle of next month.
The Chiefs undoubtedly believed a suspension was coming. They kept eight wide receivers on Tuesday, when NFL roster cuts were due. That group includes rookie Jalen Royals, who has been dealing with an injury and may not be available for the season opener in Brazil, and Marquise Brown, who missed most of last season with a shoulder injury.
Now, the Chiefs will be relying on Brown and second-year pro Xavier Worthy alongside tight end Travis Kelce in their passing game. The other wide receivers on the initial roster are veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster, return specialist Nikko Remigio, preseason standout Tyquan Thornton and Jason Brownlee, who spent part of last season with the Jets.
___
AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi in Tampa, Florida, contributed to this report.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
