Ex-Mustang Should Consider Himself Lucky

It’s been 22 days since Kansas City receiver Rashee Rice turned himself into Dallas Police for his involvement in a March 30 multi-vehicle accident in Dallas.

Rice, along with SMU junior Teddy Knox, was charged with eight felony charges that could potentially carry an imprisonment sentence. Both Rice and Knox were charged with one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury, and six counts of collision involving injury.

Those are serious charges and Knox has already suffered some consequences with the SMU suspending him from the football team after the charges were filed. However, neither the Chiefs nor the NFL have imposed any punishments on Rice, who just finished his rookie season as a key contributor for Kansas City’s second-straight Super Bowl victory.

But reports are beginning to emerge about the potential punishments Rice will face.

NFL Media’s James Palmer said recently on retired NFL receiver Steve Smith’s podcast the Chiefs are expecting to lose Rice for “half the season.”

A similar report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter stated “Rice is expected to be disciplined by the NFL resulting in at least a multi-game suspension.”

A suspension of eight games (or nine, depending on how you want to round half of 17) would be considered as a major suspension. As a rookie, Rice emerged as the lone bright spot amidst a group of disappointing receivers for Kansas City last season and was the team’s second-leading pass catcher for Patrick Mahomes behind tight end Travis Kelce.

Some form of a suspension is coming for Rice from the NFL. That much can’t disputed since Rice has taken responsibility for his role in the accident that resulted in two victims filing a $10 million lawsuit against Rice.

The major questions facing Rice are how long of a suspension and when will it be issued?

The NFL has set a precedent of waiting for legal actions to play out before issuing any punishments. No court dates or further legal developments have been reported involving Rice’s situation. So, it’s fair to wonder if Rice’s legal situation will even be resolved before the start of the 2024 season, considering the US legal system isn’t known for its speed.

Most likely, the NFL will wait for the legal process to play out and issue a suspension based on those results. But Rice has already admitted to his responsibility in the March 30 accident. The only legal question is what kind of punishment(s) will Rice face? Until that question is answered, whether its in 2024 or 2025, Rice won’t be facing any punishment from the NFL or Chiefs (beyond Kansas City drafting Texas receiver Xavier Worthy in the first round of last week’s NFL Draft).

To be blunt, Rice is extremely lucky.

There were no fatalities resulting from the accident and no victims have reported receiving major injuries or severe disfigurement. If any of that had occurred, Rice could’ve been forced down the same path as ex-NFL receiver Henry Ruggs III. Ruggs was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison as a result of an vehicular accident that ended one person’s life. He was immediately released by the Raiders and may never play in the NFL again.

So, yes, Rice should consider himself lucky the next time he puts on a NFL uniform.