As Rashee Rice enters his third NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver says he’s experiencing significant growth on two fronts. On the field, he’s completing a return from a season-ending LCL injury. Off the field, Rice has learned some intense lessons with legal ramifications that are still clouding his reputation and ability to play.
On Saturday, the Chiefs made Rice available to reporters after another practice in St. Joseph for training camp. Rice was asked about how he’s handling the likelihood of a looming suspension, and he admitted he’s learning to focus on only what he can control.
Rashee Rice spoke openly about the lessons learned in the last year on and off the field.
“Honestly, it’s still in the works,” said Rice of a legal situation stemming from his involvement in a multi-vehicle crash in 2024. “My legal team is handling that. All I can do is focus on what I can control right now, and that’s me doing what I do best right here on the field.”
Last July, Rice pleaded guilty to third-degree felonies—one for collision involving serious bodily injury and another for racing on a highway causing bodily injury—following a high-speed crash in Dallas that injured multiple people while he was driving a Lamborghini.
With the legal side wrapped up after Rice’s recent sentencing, the NFL and/or team can now instill whatever further punishment they want to apply, which likely means a suspension from the league. Rice has continued to participate fully in training camp while waiting for the verdict.
When asked what lessons he’s learned from the incident, Rice pointed to a newfound appreciation for the moment. “Just how valuable any opportunity is and any moment is,” he said. “This right here, us being able to be on the field and be able to be coached by Coach Reid and have such a great quarterback, it’s honestly a gift, it’s a blessing. So, honestly, to not take advantage of opportunities like this.”
Rice was on his way to blossoming into one of the best receivers in the AFC last season with 24 catches for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns in his first three games of the season.
This spring, he returned to Chiefs OTAs looking healthy and Rice says he’s healthy and ready to go.
“I feel better than I felt last year,” said Rice. “I was able to work on things that I didn’t know I had to focus on in my knee, my right knee. Shout out to Dr. Cooper. He did a great job on my knee, so. I just got to focus on small things, which helped me improve on my game on the field.”
When asked whether he felt like he’s moved past the incident, Rice was direct: “Yeah, I’ve completely changed.
Honestly, you have to learn from things like that. So I’ve learned, and I’ve taken advantage of being able to learn from something like that.”
