Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is speaking out about spending 30 days in jail during the offseason.
“It was tough. It was mentally tough,” Rice, 26, told reporters at Chiefs training camp on Tuesday, August 11, calling the moment a “learning experience” and a “reality check.”
He continued, “They gave me ways to communicate with my teammates still and as well as my athletic trainer. Besides the hard times in there, I kept my mind right watching shows and as much Kevin Hart as I could to laugh.”
Rice was booked into a jail in Dallas County in May for violating the terms of a plea agreement stemming from charges related to a 2024 car crash. He was released one month later and resumed rehab on his knee at the Chiefs training facility in Kansas City.
Rice was involved in a multi-car crash in 2024, with prosecutors claiming he drove 119 miles per hour on a Dallas highway and left multiple people injured. The NFL player was charged with one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injuries. At the time, Rice was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to serve 30 days in jail.
“Last March, I was involved in a high-speed accident in Dallas,” he said in a statement at the time. “There have 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.”
Rice added, “I urge everyone to mind the speed limit, drive safe and drive smart. Last and certainly not least, I am profoundly sorry for the physical damages to person and property. I fully apologize for the harm I caused to innocent drivers and their families.”
Earlier this year, Rice made headlines when he was accused of domestic abuse by ex-girlfriend Dacoda Jones.
“On October 9th, 2025, well after the parties’ relationship had ended, Ms. Jones stated under penalty of perjury in a sworn Affidavit for Non-Prosecution that ‘Mr. Rice and I had a verbal argument, but he did not punch me.’ We will allow the legal process to run its course and have no further comment at this time,” his attorney, Sean Lindsey, said in a separate statement in February.
In April, the NFL decided it would not punish Rice and said in a statement that there was “insufficient evidence” that he violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
“Mr. Rice wants to thank the NFL for their thorough investigation, and looks forward to the start of the 2026-27 NFL season,” Lindsey said in a statement to The Associated Press.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
