Rashee Rice is already the center of two police investigations from his recent exploits, but now his past could come back to haunt him and pile on the misery.
The Kansas City Chiefs star could find himself facing more punishment from the NFL with a previous incident in his college days resurfacing.
In April, Rice was charged with eight felonies for his alleged role in a multi-car accident on a Dallas highway, with allegations that he and four other men had been street racing. He was released from jail after posting bond.
He is also the subject of another ongoing Dallas police probe after he was accused of allegedly luring a man to a nightclub and assaulting him. And to make matters worse, an incident that occurred while he was at SMU has remerged, with NFL teams made aware of the incident before the 2023 NFL Draft.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported via multiple sources that red flags were raised before the draft because Rice was allegedly involved in the shooting of a fellow SMU athlete’s car.
Per multiple sources, Rice believed former SMU basketball player Kendric Davis was seeing his girlfriend behind his back and he allegedly decided to attend a SMU game, before proceeding to fire shots into Davis’ car, which was empty.
The report claims the incident was not reported at the time. But NFL teams, even the Chiefs, were notified and still went ahead in their decision to draft Rice.
Will the Chiefs cut Rashee Rice?
It remains to be seen how the Chiefs will react after Rice’s trial ends, but it looks like the 24-year-old will be spending some time away from the NFL regardless.
He returned to practice during in April, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes seemingly backing him despite facing his legal issues: “I’ve worked with Rashee (Rice) brought the offseason, just in general. I’m sure we’ll continue that work as the legal process plays out,” Mahomes said.
But this incident could anger Mahomes and coach Andy Reid, who may see it as an unwanted distraction as the Chiefs go for a third consecutive Super Bowl this year.
NFL rules state they can punish players “with a prior history of misconduct”, even if it took place before they entered the league, and this could apply to Rice’s alleged shooting incident involving Davis’ car.
It appears that the NFL will wait for Rice’s legal situation to be resolved before making their decision, but according to FanSided, Rice could be hit with a lengthy suspension.
