Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is looking to “move forward” and “mature” following a rough offseason.
Speaking with reporters at a youth football camp, Rice made his first comments since a pair of recent incidents, including his arrest in April for an alleged aggravated assault. He also was later a suspect for an alleged assault at a Dallas club.
“I’ve learned so much from that,” Rice said of his alleged postseason incidents. “All I can do is mature and continue to grow from that. This is a step in a better direction for me.”
The arrest for the alleged aggravated assault stemmed from a high-speed, multi-car crash on an expressway in Dallas. Rice allegedly raced another vehicle and was driving his Lamborghini Urus as fast as 119 mph before hitting a retaining wall, with the two cars causing four other vehicles to be damaged.
A video later obtained and shared by The Dallas Morning News showed five people from the Lamborghini and Chevrolet Corvette, the car Rice was allegedly racing, leaving the scene of the crash without checking on the victims. Two of the victims were transported to the hospital while two others dealt with minor injuries.
Twelve days after the March 30 crash, Rice was charged with a count of aggravated assault, a count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injuries. He turned himself in a day later, on April 11, before posting bail.
Rice is also being sued for $10 million in punitive damages and $1 million in actual damages by a pair of the victims from the crash. In the $10 million lawsuit, the victims claim that they’re dealing with several injuries, such as brain trauma, lacerations, contusions, internal bleeding and disfigurement.
Less than a month after the arrest, Rice was under investigation for allegedly punching a photographer at a Dallas club. The victim opted not to press charges and Rice was not arrested or charged with a crime.
Amid his alleged problems off the field, Rice has attended offseason workouts for the Chiefs.
Rice said he’s trying to become a better person in the wake of the alleged incidents, saying “all you can do is move forward and walk around being the same person, try to be positive so that everybody can feel your love and your great energy,”
Rice had a standout rookie season for the Chiefs in 2023, recording 79 receptions for 938 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season. He added 26 receptions for 262 yards and a touchdown in the postseason.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that the league is monitoring Rice’s situation “closely” but will “allow the legal process to move through” before handing out any discipline, he told ESPN in April.
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