Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice has a disciplinary hearing scheduled for Sept. 30, which could indicate he’s eligible for the first few weeks of the season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. However, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero suggested the timing of the suspension could change. Rice pleaded guilty in July to two felony charges […]
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice has a disciplinary hearing scheduled for Sept. 30, which could indicate he’s eligible for the first few weeks of the season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. However, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero suggested the timing of the suspension could change.
Rice pleaded guilty in July to two felony charges stemming from a car crash at high speeds in March 2024. The NFL is expected to suspend him for multiple games, and Pelissero reported the league proposed a double-digit suspension. The NFLPA and Rice’s attorneys pushed back.
However, Pelissero said a settlement could come together before Week 1. Should be the case, Rice would serve his suspension to begin the year, rather than risking postseason ineligibility.
“The expectation is Rashee Rice is going to be suspended for a portion of the 2025 season,” Pelissero said Friday. “The question now is, how much? My understanding is the NFL initially proposed a lengthy suspension – double-digit games – for Rashee Rice. The players’ union and Rashee Rice’s attorney and agents argued for a much shorter suspension in part because there is no precedent for suspending someone for over half the season in a case like this. So as you mentioned, there is a Sept. 30 hearing set before former federal judge Sue L. Robinson, who previously heard the initial Deshaun Watson case several years ago here.
“But there is still a possibility that the sides could come together and agree to a settlement on a suspension that would allow Rice to be suspended at the start of the season. If not, then he would be eligible for at least those first three games. But given the fact that not only the decision-making process, but also potential appeals could extend that process into October or November if it goes before Judge Robinson, this is something then that could potentially jeopardize his availability for the postseason. A lot to consider as this case moves forward.”
A Dallas County judge sentenced Rice to five years of probation and 30 days of jail time for his role in the crash. Per the ruling, the Chiefs wide receiver can serve his jail sentence during the five-year probation.
The crash happened on March 30, 2024 when Rice, who was driving a Lamborghini, was racing Theodore Knox, who was driving a Corvette. Rice reportedly told police he lost control of his vehicle, which caused a crash involving six cars.
Category: Football
