Is it a bad look for the Kansas Chiefs and NFL to sit idly by, while SMU acted promptly in the increasingly problematic aftermath of the street-race accident involving Rashee Rice?
On March 30, 2024, Chiefs star WR Rashee Rice was involved in a high-speed accident in Dallas, Texas. Rice’s former SMU teammate, Theodore “Teddy” Knox, was also involved in the accident. Rice and Knox were racing at high speeds and caused a multi-vehicle, chain-reaction accident. Injuries were suffered, and while initial reports indicated that the injuries were minor, new evidence has surfaced that disfiguring facial injuries and brain trauma are involved. Rice and Knox fled the scene after the accident. Now, they have both been charged with multiple felonies and hit with a civil lawsuit seeking eight-figure punitive damages.
Although SMU has suspended Knox, neither the NFL nor the Chiefs have yet taken any action against Rice.
Is this a bad look for the Chiefs and the NFL, particularly in light of the circumstance that the street-racing accident occurred during the same month that Missouri Governor Mike Parson controversially commuted a three-prison sentence imposed on Britt Reid, the son of Chief’s head coach Andy Reid? That sentence had been given to Britt Reid after a high-speed drunk-driving incident that caused severe brain injury to a five-year-old girl.
SMU Acted Swiftly After Issuance of 8-Count Felony Arrest Warrants
After the issuance of arrest warrants for Rice and Knox on eight felony counts on charges including aggravated assault and causing a collision resulting in serious bodily injury, SMU suspended Knox from the Mustangs’ football team.
Mugshot released of Chiefs WR Rashee Rice after he turned himself in to Glenn Heights PD https://t.co/GrWlgTEivZ pic.twitter.com/Imz92DQhid
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) April 12, 2024
MUGSHOT released for SMU football player Teddy Knox, who turned himself in to police after an arrest warrant was issued for him and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice for their roles in a multi-car crash last month
READ MORE: https://t.co/RAnKTlVjrq pic.twitter.com/cnNt0vwwpe
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) April 12, 2024
Bad Look: Inaction of the NFL and Kansas City Chiefs
Rice was the Chiefs’ top wide receiver last season.
Rice is currently participating in remote meetings with the Chiefs and working out with MVP Patrick Mahomes.
Head Coach Andy Reid said the Chiefs are monitoring the situation involving Rice, including legal developments.
The timing of this is not great for the Chiefs.
On March 1, 2024 — just 29 days before Rice’s street-racing incident in Dallas — the governor of Missouri commuted the prison sentence of Britt Reid. That prison sentence stemmed from a 2021 drunk driving incident that caused severe brain injury to a young girl. The commutation sparked outrage and claims of improper influence and favoritism.
Gov. Parson commutes sentence of Britt Reid, son of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid | Click on the image to read the full story https://t.co/jCJxfTQdbV
— KMBC (@kmbc) March 1, 2024
Attorney for young girl injured by Britt Reid in drunken car wreck rips decision to commute jail time https://t.co/pUPaKo9Lmw
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 7, 2024
NFL Exempt List
The NFL could take the matter out of the Chiefs’ hands. Specifically, with the felony charges now facing Rice, Commissioner Roger Goodell could place Rice on the NFL’s exempt list. Players on the exempt list cannot participate in any official football activities. Rice may be headed for inclusion on the exempt list.
This is a rapidly evolving story.
Related Stories:
- Update: SMU Mustangs & Kansas City Chiefs WR Rashee Rice Reportedly Retains Counsel as Dallas Police Seek to Locate Him
- Update: Super Bowl Champion Rashee Rice Cooperating with Authorities
- Rashee Rice Admits Involvement in 6-Car Hit-and-Run
- Rashee Rice Faces Up to 10 Years in Prison
- Rashee Rice Faces Not Only Criminal Charges But Also Civil Lawsuits and Likely NFL Suspension
- Southern Methodist University Beats the NFL and Kansas City Chiefs to the Punch by Suspending the Other Driver Involved in the 119-MPH Rashee Rice Crash — Mustangs CB Theodore “Teddy” Knox
- $10 Million in Damages Sought & Brain Injury Alleged in New Lawsuit Against Past and Current SMU Players Involved in Dallas Street-Racing Accident
For more sports-related news, focused primarily on the USC Trojans, SMU Mustangs, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Rams, please follow me at @vshjah_Victor.
4 Comments
Victor must need dome face time
Not sure what this means, Leon. Skiing in Yosemite? Let me know, and I’ll happily reply.
another one trying to stir up trouble
Get a LIFE!!
Leon: How is this stirring up trouble? Isn’t it legitimate to ask whether the NFL and Chiefs ought to follow SMU’s lead by being proactive? SMU already suspended the other driver, Teddy Knox. The mother of the little girl injured by Britt Reid expressed outrage over the governor’s commutation of Reid’s three-year prison sentence. These are facts. Burying one’s head in the sand does not make the facts go away. Wouldn’t it be in Rashee Rice’s best long-term interests to get out ahead of this?