Rashee Rice, the starting wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, has a dismal situation.
Rice is charged with eight felonies in relation to an automobile crash that involved six vehicles on March 30. Rice was reportedly “under investigation for allegedly hitting a photographer at a club in Dallas” early on Monday morning, according to a May 7 WFAA report.
As Chiefs Kingdom struggles with Rice’s off-field problems, a scouting report from 2023 about his character has come to light. Rice was the only player on NFL analyst Bob McGinn’s “Scout’s Nightmare” list.
“Has the size (6-0 ½, 205), speed (4.42), athletic ability (41-inch vertical jump), and production (233 receptions, 25 touchdowns) to be a high draft choice,” McGinn said of the former SMU player.
However, due to behavioral concerns, at least one team has pulled him from their draft board. A personnel director remarked, “He’s talented, but not a good dude.”
Supporters and pundits responded angrily to McGinn’s critique. Dan Duggan of The Athletic wrote, “At the time, it was criticized for being incorrect to publish on a draft candidate. Quoting someone anonymously who make such harsh remarks is undoubtedly a delicate line. However, the goal is to inform, even if it means presenting unfavorable information. To be clear, athletes’ stocks do not decline as a result of reports like these. The teams know about the character issues, whether or not they are reported, which is why the players leave.
According to SI’s Albert Breer, “Those in the media criticizing these reports are frequently the ones without access to this kind of information.” Though there are occasionally outliers, the information is often well-known among teams and is nearly always true.
The Chiefs chose him as their No. 55 overall pick because they believed his talent surpassed the concerns voiced.
In addition to the felony accusations, Rice is allegedly the target of two lawsuits from the vehicle accident that left other people injured, according to KCTV 5.
A few weeks later, Andy Reid, the head coach of the Chiefs, took questions about whether the team still has faith in Rice. Yes, pay attention—as long as he’s taken the lesson.
According to SI’s Jordan Foote, Reid stated, “That’s the important part of it.”
We’re just sort of gathering everything and making sure we have all the bases covered right now, but we’ll take it from there and see what happens.
A few weeks later, Rice is under police investigation, which has fans and analysts concerned. Cody Tapp, presenter of 610 Sports Radio, posted, “Chiefs may be having an issue.” Much too much work for your first winter break. “Someone needs to get in this kid’s ear quickly or I’m afraid he’s not long for the NFL,” stated Charles Goldman of AtoZ Sports.
Following the confrontation at the nightclub, the Dallas Police Department sent TMZ a statement saying, “A victim reported being assaulted by a suspect.” The victim, whose injuries were not life-threatening, drove themselves to a nearby hospital.
“Police spokesperson says officers were dispatched about 2:30 am Monday morning for report of an assault,” said Harold R. Kuntz of Fox 4 KC on social media, following an assault at Lit Kitchen & Lounge in downtown Dallas. “There is no record of a recent arrest and no charges have been filed.”
It’s unclear how long Rice will be suspended, and there are contradicting claims floating around, but it’s also unclear when. The outcome of the legal proceedings could cause his suspension to be postponed until 2025.
While Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest had initially projected a punishment more in the range of two to six games, that changed after the most recent incident. “Okay, well, now it might be eight games or more,” Derrick posted. “Let’s see what the facts tell us though.” NFL insider James Palmer reports that the Chiefs are “expecting” Rice’s suspension to be “half a season at least.”
