Rashee Rice’s prospects of being available for the Chiefs’ full three-peat campaign may be slim, as three different incidents are contributing into a probable ban, which the organisation anticipates. The most recent of these instances is no longer expected to result in a charge. The Kansas City wide receiver was accused of striking a photographer in the face at a Dallas nightclub earlier this month, but the alleged victim is not planning to file charges.
An incident in which Rice or a member of his party fired gunshots into an empty car belonging to an SMU basketball player, occurring while Rice was still at the Dallas-area school, is also set to factor into an NFL investigation. The incident involving the photographer may end up the lowest-profile matter in a league probe.
The Chiefs have welcomed Rice back. After participating virtually in the first phase of the Chiefs’ offseason program, Rice is working with the team at OTAs. The Chiefs have navigated extensive off-field troubles involving high-profile players in recent years, and suspensions did come down for the likes of Frank Clark, Charles Omenihu and Kareem Hunt. The latter was with the Browns when he served an eight-game ban. Omenihu served a six-game suspension for a domestic violence arrest, and Clark was banned for two games for a gun issue.
Andy Reid‘s team navigated the D-line suspensions en route to Super Bowl titles. Unless the Rice investigation drags into 2025, the two-time reigning champions should be expected to play a chunk of the season without their leading wide receiver from 2023.
“The reporting party has signed an affidavit of non-prosecution,” according to the Dallas Police Department, as reported by Adam Teicher for ESPN.com. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, the photographer described the situation as a miscommunication.
As Roger Goodell-era NFL fans are well aware, players can still be disciplined by the league regardless of charges being filed. Rice still has to deal with the March hit-and-run incident. The 2023 second-rounder’s biggest offseason challenge is the eight felony charges stemming from the vehicle crash. Rice, 24, was suspected to be street racing; he was going 119 mph and fled the area after the incident.
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