Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is facing multiple charges for a six-car accident that he directly caused while street racing in Dallas. While the legal process is playing out, there is reportedly a chance the NFL makes an example out of Rice.
Rice, age 23, is charged with six counts of collision involving bodily injury, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and one count of aggravated for his involvement in the crash on March 30. The Chiefs’ receiver admitted to driving the Lamborghini that was involved in the hit-and-run crash on the North Central Expressway in Dallas.
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New details have also emerged on Rice’s behavior leading up to the crash and what was found in his vehicle. According to an affidavit obtained by CBS News, Rice’s Lamborghini was driving at 119 mph before he lost control and crashed in a zone with a posted speed limit of 70 mph.
Rice and his group immediately left the scene on foot, not contacting authorities nor checking on the victims of the crash. When law enforcement arrived and searched the vehicles, they found 10.8 grams of marijuana in the Lamborghini. Following the crash, Rice also didn’t contact law enforcement for 48 hours.
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The NFL has not taken any action against Rice as it allows the legal process to play out. However, once the process does play out, the Chiefs’ top receiver could be facing a significant suspension.
On the Yahoo Sports’ Inside Coverage podcast, NFL reporter Charles Robinson shared what someone in the league told him about potential discipline for Rice.
“What I was told was,’Hey, this could actually end up being a more significant suspension than some people think.’ Some people think, ‘Well, there were no ftalities, he’s taken responsibility in terms of the elements of saying yes, I was behind the wheel.’ You can debate whether he was forced into that by video. But, let’s let this play out. I think the leaving the scene, the video that exists and then some of the other elements of things that have happened with alleged racing or speeding in vehicles…This person just said, the league is going to take this really seriously. They think, right now depending on how it unfolds, it’s not just going to be a ‘Well, he made good on making the victims whole…’ This feels like it could be a moment where the league is like, we need to make a bit of an example here.”
Charles Robinson on a potential suspension for Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice
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As Robinson noted, previous incidents could play a massive role in this for the NFL. Players have been accused of street racing and excessive speeding in cars for many years. However, more recently, some of those incidents have been fatal.
On November 1, 2021, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs was driving at a max speed of 156 mph in the moments before he crashed into the back of a Toyota Rav4, killing Tina Tintor and her dog Max. While playing for the Georgia Bulldogs, defensive tackle Jalen Carter was accused of street racing with a suspended license on Jan. 15, 2023, with another vehicle that crashed. The other car struck two utility poles and multiple trees, resulting in the deaths of Georgia staff member Chandler LeCroy and Bulldogs player Devin Willock.
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While Rice’s actions didn’t result in a fatality, the actions he took caused a six-car accident and jeopardized the lives of others on the road. Even with his cooperation with authorities, Rice’s refusal to learn from the tragedies involving Ruggs and Carter might lead to the NFL sending a message to its players with a huge suspension.