Is it a terrible look for the Kansas City Chiefs and the NFL to sit idly by while SMU acted quickly in the increasingly troublesome aftermath of Rashee Rice’s street race accident?
Rashee Rice, the Chiefs’ standout wide receiver, was engaged in a high-speed accident on March 30, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. Theodore “Teddy” Knox, Rice’s old SMU teammate, was also involved in the crash. Rice and Knox were racing at high speeds, resulting in a multi-vehicle chain-reaction accident. Injuries occurred, and while initial reports suggested that the injuries were minor, fresh information has emerged indicating that disfiguring facial injuries and brain trauma are involved. Rice and Knox fled the site following the crash. They have now been charged with various felonies and face a civil action seeking eight-figure punitive damages.
Although SMU has suspended Knox, the NFL and the Chiefs have yet to take action against Rice.
Is this a poor look for the Chiefs and the NFL, especially given that the street-racing accident happened in the same month that Missouri Governor Mike Parson controversially shortened Britt Reid’s three-year jail term, the son of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid? Britt Reid received this sentence following a high-speed drunk-driving incident that resulted in a severe brain injury to a five-year-old girl.
SMU acted quickly upon the issuance of 8-count felony arrest warrants.
After arrest warrants were issued for Rice and Knox on eight felony counts, including aggravated assault and causing a collision resulting in serious bodily injury, SMU suspended Knox from the Mustangs football team.
Rice was the Chiefs’ leading wide receiver last season.
Rice is presently in virtual sessions with the Chiefs and working out alongside MVP Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs’ head coach, Andy Reid, said the team is keeping an eye on the issue with Rice, including legal developments.
The timing is not ideal for the Chiefs.
On March 1, 2024, just 29 days before Rice’s street racing incident in Dallas, Missouri’s governor commuted Britt Reid’s prison sentence. That prison term originated from a 2021 drunk driving incident that resulted in a catastrophic brain injury for a little child. The commutation generated uproar and allegations of inappropriate influence and favoritism.
NFL Exempt List
The NFL might take the subject out of the Chiefs’ control. With Rice now facing felony accusations, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell may place him on the league’s exempt list. Players on the exempt list are prohibited from participating in any official football activities. Rice may end up on the exempt list.
This is a quickly developing story.
