Rashee Rice publicly opens up on troubled offseason for the first time

Kansas City Chiefs star Rashee Rice has spoken out on his tumultuous offseason for the first time publicly on Saturday, as he vows to ‘mature and continue to grow’ while resolving his run-ins with the law.

After the high of winning his first Super Bowl of his career with the team in February, the 24-year-old Rice and his former SMU teammate Theodore Knox were involved in a Dallas, Texas multi-car wreck in March, as both are facing eight criminal charges.

The two men are also named in multi-million-dollar seeking lawsuits by the victims of the crash.

In a separate incident in May, Rice allegedly punched a photographer at a nightclub in Dallas although the wideout will no long face charges after they were dropped by the person.

At a football camp hosted by Chiefs wide receivers Skyy Moore, Hollywood Brown, Xavier Worthy, Mecole Hardman and Rice, Rice said that the biggest reflection that he’s had since running into trouble with the law this spring is being grateful for every day.’

He continued: ‘Nothing possible without the grace of God so we just out here trying to share the love and be blessed for every opportunity we get.

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‘I’ve learned so much from [my offseason troubles]. All I can do 1717895652 is mature and continue to grow from that. This is a step in a better direction for me. 

‘Accidents and stuff like that happen but all you can do is kind of move forward and walk around being the same person and try to be positive so that everybody could feel your love and your good energy.’

Rice added that his involvement within the Kansas City community this offseason has helped distract him from his legal troubles. He has also been a participant in the Chiefs’ OTAs, and head coach Andy Reid has said he will continue to be in practice.

‘It’s great to be able to come out here and have impact in the community,’ Rice said. 

‘Especially since… memories are too short so we kind of remember exactly how it feels to be out here and how it feels wishing that we would be in the NFL.’ 

On March 31, Rice leased a Lamborghini SUV that police in Dallas said was speeding along with a Corvette on North Central Expressway. The crash ultimately involved six cars, police said, and the occupants of the Lamborghini and Corvette left the scene without providing information or determining whether anyone needed medical attention.

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Rice eventually met with Dallas Police, a few days after the incident, on April 4.

Last week, an attorney for Rice said that the NFL player was cooperating with local authorities but did not elaborate. The Chiefs also said they were aware of the crash but declined additional comment.

Police have not released any information about the other people involved in the wreck.

Rice was leasing the Lamborghini from The Classic Lifestyle, said Kyle Coker, an attorney for the Dallas-based exotic car rental company. Under the terms of the lease, Rice would have been the only person allowed to drive the vehicle, which rents for about $1,750 a day and is worth about $250,000.

Rice’s attorney, state Sen. Royce West, said Rice ‘will take all necessary steps to address this situation responsibly.’

Rice was born in Philadelphia but grew up in the Fort Worth, Texas, suburb of North Richland Hills. He played college football at nearby SMU, where a breakout senior season in 2022 put the wide receiver on the radar of NFL teams.

The Chiefs selected him in the second round of last year’s draft, and he quickly became one of the only dependable options in their passing game. With exceptional quickness off the line of scrimmage, Rice finished second on the team to Travis Kelce with 73 receptions for 938 yards while leading the Chiefs with seven touchdown receptions.

Rice may have been even better in the playoffs. He had 26 catches for 262 yards and a touchdown, including six catches for 39 yards against San Francisco in the Super Bowl, helping the Chiefs win their third Lombardi Trophy in five years.