The NFL is paying close attention to the legal proceedings unfolding around Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice.
Police suspect Rice, 23, ran and crashed his Corvette, believed to have caused a multi-vehicle crash, in Dallas before fleeing the scene.
Shocking dash cam footage emerged over the weekend of a crash in Dallas involving six cars, followed by a group of men driving away from the scene.
The Super Bowl winner has hired an attorney and is cooperating with authorities, his lawyer said Monday.
Amid the ongoing investigation, the league is monitoring the situation involving Rice, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told ESPN’s Adam Schefter Tuesday.
Police suspect Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice ran and crashed his Corvette
The NFL (commissioner Roger Goodell pictured) said it is monitoring the legal situation.
Fleeing the scene of an accident can result in serious criminal penalties in Texas, and if Rice is found to have been driving the vehicle at the time of the accident, he could face up to five years in prison, according to NBC Sports.
The NFL and the Chiefs could also take action on their own.
On Monday, Rice’s attorney, Royce West, said: ‘On behalf of Rashee Rice, his thoughts are with everyone affected by Saturday’s car accident.
“Rashee is cooperating with local authorities and will take all necessary steps to address this situation responsibly.”
Earlier this week, the Chiefs broke their silence on the matter when franchise president Mark Donovan spoke on local radio and revealed he wouldn’t jump to any conclusions or decisions just yet.
“In all of these situations you have to wait until you have all the facts and, frankly, we don’t have all of them right now,” Donovan told KCMO’s Pete Mundo on Monday.
“The only comforting fact we have is that there was a multi-car accident in Texas, in Dallas, and fortunately, it doesn’t appear that anyone was hurt and we should be grateful for that.
“We will get to the bottom of the matter, gather the facts and react accordingly.”
Chiefs president Mark Donovan (left) said Monday that the team will wait until all the facts are available regarding the young Kansas City receiver’s case.
Dashboard camera footage of the incident shows a Lamborghini and a Corvette going at high speed and colliding with a gray car on the North Central Expressway, pushing the cars to the other side of the road. It has been claimed that the Lamborghini and the Corvette, which police suspect Rice was driving, were racing.
Then, five men in the Corvette and Lamborghini appeared to drive away from the scene along the shoulder of the road. Rice, who helped the Chiefs win a second straight Super Bowl in February, was wanted by police because the Corvette was registered or leased to him.
Dallas News also cited a witness who said he saw one of the men remove “guns and bags from the vehicles” before leaving the scene.
The incident is believed to have occurred at 6:20 pm local time. The Lamborghini is believed to have crashed into the median wall, causing “a pile-up involving four other vehicles,” before the two drivers fled the scene.
The Super Bowl winner has hired a lawyer and is cooperating with authorities.
A woman involved in the collision, identified as Kayla Quinn, 27, said the accident endangered her four-year-old son and that the speeding men drove away from the scene of the accident without mercy.
“No one stopped,” Quinn told the DMN. ‘We had kids, we had kids, you know what I’m saying?
‘It’s the fact that there was no sympathy shown for the fact that you guys can have the decency to stop and check that someone is okay, that someone is alive, you know?
“I’m glad I was able to get out of there because it could have been a lot worse.”
Quinn’s son was examined by paramedics at the scene of the accident and was deemed okay.
Rice grew up in the Fort Worth suburb of North Richland Hills, Texas, and spent all four years of his college career in Dallas at SMU.
Patrick Mahomes (right) spoke glowingly of how good Rice was for the Chiefs last season.
Patrick Mahomes, Rice and Hollywood Brown were recently photographed practicing together.
He had 79 receptions and 938 yards with a team-leading seven touchdown receptions in 16 games (eight starts) after being selected by Kansas City in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
He also had 26 receptions for 262 yards and a touchdown in four playoff games to help the Chiefs secure their second straight Super Bowl title.
He set a franchise rookie playoff record with 130 receiving yards in January’s 26-7 playoff victory over the Miami Dolphins, earning high praise from Travis Kelce.
“I’m proud of him,” Kelce said. “I think he’s come a long way and I think he’s still coming up as a player in this offense. It’s been fun to see him rise to the occasion and really catapult us in a lot of ways, both in the passing game and the running game.” .