Rashee Rice Suffers Injury Scare Amid Suspension Rumors
As the Kansas City Chiefs prepped for Wednesday’s practice, the injury report carried an unexpected entry: third-year wideout Rashee Rice.
Fresh off a torn LCL in 2024, Rice reportedly did not practice due to a groin issue, just a few days out from the Chiefs’ first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Adding insult to (literal) injury, Rice is also expected to be suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy after a car accident that left multiple people injured in Dallas last year.
Rice’s absence capped off a day in which receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (ankle), tight end Jake Briningstool (hamstring) and linebacker Drue Tranquill (back) also sat out, raising questions about Kansas City’s depth ahead of Saturday’s preseason opener.
Rashee Rice’s Rise, Legal Entanglement and Imminent Suspension
Drafted 55th overall out of SMU in 2023, Rice exploded onto the scene as Patrick Mahomes’ new favorite target.
As a rookie, he hauled in 79 receptions for 938 yards and seven touchdowns. Last year, Rice opened the 2024 campaign with 24 catches for 288 yards and two scores in his first four games (72 yards per game), before a Week 4 LCL tear ended his season.
After offseason surgery and months of rehabilitation, Rice returned to training camp at “full speed ahead,” per coach Andy Reid.
However, Rice’s on-field story has been overshadowed by a high-speed hit-and-run in Dallas during the 2024 offseason.
Video footage showed the SMU product street-racing a Lamborghini at speeds exceeding 115 mph before colliding with multiple vehicles and fleeing the scene.
He ultimately pleaded guilty to two third-degree felonies, racing on a highway and an accident causing serious bodily injury, and agreed to pay $1 million in restitution.
A Dallas County judge sentenced him to five years’ probation and 30 days of jail time, which he may serve at any point during that probationary period.
Under the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy, such a plea opened the door to league discipline. While the NFL has not formally announced a penalty, insiders expect a suspension in the range of two to six games.
Rice told ESPN on August 2 that he has yet to receive word from the NFL on timing or length of any discipline, saying, “Honestly, it’s still in the works…
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 here on the field.”
Time will tell how long Rice’s suspension lasts, but his potentially missing the Chiefs’ first preseason game after almost a full year off is disappointing, to say the least.
