Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice sentenced to 30 days in jail for high-speed crash
- - - Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice sentenced to 30 days in jail for high-speed crash
David K. Li July 18, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024. (Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP file)
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice pleaded guilty to charges connected to a high-speed crash in Dallas last year and agreed to a 30-day jail sentence that could precede NFL punishment, officials said Thursday.
Rice will also receive five years of probation for causing a "chain reaction" smash-up on March 30 of last year when he was behind the wheel of a Lamborghini that veered onto the shoulder of the North Central Expressway in Dallas, prosecutors said.
"I am profoundly sorry for the physical damages to person and property," Rice said in a statement he released through his attorney and prosecutors. "I fully apologize for the harm I caused to innocent drivers and their families."
Rice was behind the wheel of a Lamborghini that was making "multiple aggressive maneuvers around traffic" at 119 mph, according to the Dallas District Attorney's Office.
"This caused a chain reaction that affected multiple vehicles," prosecutors said. "After the collision, Mr. Rice failed to check on the welfare of the victims and fled on foot."
He pleaded guilty to a pair of felonies, causing a collision involving a serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury.
This case's resolution could open the door for the NFL to levy its own penalty against Rice, who played in just four games last season, making 24 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns. He missed most of 2024 due to an injury to his lateral collateral ligament.
In his rookie 2023 season, Rice caught 79 passes for 938 yards and seven scores.
“We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter which remains under review," NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in a statement Thursday. "There’s no timeline on next steps."
Rice will have some freedom to decide when he'll serve this time.
"The Judge is allowing Mr. Rice to find a time or times to serve the jail time and Mr. Rice/his attorney have to follow up with the court about when he will serve the jail time," according to a statement from Dallas DA spokesperson Claire Crouch.
A Chiefs rep could not be immediately reached for comment on Thursday. Chiefs training camp opens on Monday at Missouri Western State University.
The team's first exhibition game is set for Aug. 9 against the Arizona Cardinals with the regular season kicking off on Sept. 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers in a game to be played at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo.
Rice, who played at nearby SMU and was drafted No. 55 overall in the 2023 NFL draft, urged motorists not to follow in his lead-footed steps.
“There has been a lot of sleepless nights thinking about the damages that my actions caused and I will continue working within my means to make sure that everyone impacted will be made whole,” he said.
“I urge everyone to mind the speed limit, drive safe and drive smart.”
The Rice crash occurred about 2 1/2 years after Las Vegas Raiders WR Henry Ruggs III, drove drunk at speeds up to 156 mph on Las Vegas street and caused a fiery collision that killed a woman and her dog on Nov. 2, 2021.
Ruggs was sentenced to three to 10 years behind bars. His earliest parole-eligibility date is Aug. 5, 2026, Nevada Department of Corrections records showed.
Dallas County DA John Creuzot said Rice was "fortunate" not to have suffered or caused more extensive injuries.
"A vehicle in the wrong hands can be as dangerous as any weapon," Creuzot said in a statement. "We are extremely fortunate that no lives were lost that day and Mr. Rice is fortunate to have walked away unharmed. We hope he takes this as an opportunity to mature and leads by example moving forward."
Source: “AOL AOL Sports”
