Kansas City Chiefs star Rashee Rice spoke publicly for the first time about his tumultuous offseason on Saturday, as he vows to “mature and continue to grow” while resolving his problems with the law.
After winning his first career Super Bowl with the team in February, Rice, 24, and his former SMU teammate, Theodore Knox, were involved in a multi-car accident in Dallas, Texas, in March, while both they face each other. eight criminal charges.
The two men are also named in multimillion-dollar lawsuits by victims of the crash.
In a separate incident in May, Rice allegedly punched a photographer at a nightclub in Dallas, although the recipient will no longer face charges after the person dropped them.
At a football camp hosted by Chiefs wide receivers Skyy Moore, Hollywood Brown, Xavier Worthy, Mecole Hardman and Rice, Rice said the biggest reflection he’s had since getting in trouble with the law this spring is being grateful for every day.
Rashee Rice faces eight criminal charges and several lawsuits for her troubles with the law this offseason following the Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Bowl runs.
Rice and a friend crashed their cars on a Dallas freeway on March 31, striking six vehicles.
He continued: ‘Nothing is possible without the grace of God, so we are here trying to share the love and be blessed by every opportunity we get.
‘I’ve learned a lot from (my offseason problems). All I can do (now) is mature and continue to grow from that. This is a step in a better direction for me.
“Accidents and things like that happen, but the only thing you can do is move forward and walk around being the same person and try to be positive so that everyone can feel your love and your good energy.”
Rice added that his involvement within the Kansas City community this offseason has helped distract him from his legal problems. He has also participated in Chiefs OTAs and head coach Andy Reid has said he will continue practicing.
“It’s great to be able to come here and have an impact on the community,” Rice said.
“Especially because… memories are too short, so we remember exactly what it feels like to be here and what it feels like to want to be in the NFL.”
In May, Rice allegedly punched a photographer at a Dallas nightclub, but charges were later dropped.
Rice won a Super Bowl in his rookie year with the Kansas City Chiefs in February in Las Vegas.
On March 31, Rice rented a Lamborghini SUV that Dallas police said was speeding along with a Corvette on North Central Expressway. The crash ultimately involved six cars, police said, and the occupants of the Lamborghini and Corvette left the scene without providing information or determining whether anyone needed medical attention.
Rice finally met with Dallas police a few days after the incident on April 4.
Last week, a lawyer for Rice said the NFL player was cooperating with local authorities, but did not elaborate. The Chiefs also said they were aware of the accident but declined to comment further.
Police have not released any information about the other people involved in the accident.
Rice was renting the Lamborghini to The Classic Lifestyle, said Kyle Coker, an attorney for the Dallas-based exotic car rental company. Under the terms of the lease, Rice would have been the only person authorized to drive the vehicle, which rents for about $1,750 a day and is worth about $250,000.
Despite his legal issues, Rice was able to participate in the Chiefs’ OTA offseason workouts.
Rice’s attorney, state Sen. Royce West, said Rice “will take all necessary steps to address this situation responsibly.”
Rice was born in Philadelphia but grew up in the North Richland Hills suburb of Fort Worth, Texas. He played college football at nearby SMU, where a standout senior season in 2022 put the wide receiver on the radar of NFL teams.
The Chiefs selected him in the second round of last year’s draft and he quickly became one of the only reliable options in their passing game. With exceptional quickness from scrimmage, Rice finished second on the team behind Travis Kelce with 73 receptions for 938 yards while he led the Chiefs with seven touchdown receptions.
Rice may have been even better in the playoffs. He had 26 catches for 262 yards and a touchdown, including six catches for 39 yards against San Francisco in the Super Bowl, helping the Chiefs win their third Lombardi Trophy in five years.