KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The Kansas City Chiefs and National Football League now know the criminal punishment levied against wide receiver Rashee Rice.
On Thursday, Rice was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years of probation after pleading guilty to two third-degree felony charges in Dallas County, Texas, for a March 30, 2024, incident in which Rice reached 119 miles per hour in a Lamborghini and caused a six-car crash on a Dallas freeway.
The now 25-year-old wide receiver then walked away from the crash scene without checking on the victims.
That sentencing closes the book on Rice’s criminal case and opens the door for the NFL to suspend him. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the sentencing allows the NFL to “expedite its disciplinary process,” and said Rice “is likely to receive a multi-game suspension.”
Weeks after the incident happened last spring, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league would wait for the legal process to play out before determining a punishment.
“We obviously are following it closely and as soon as they are done with the process we will be engaged and be prepared to look at that under all of our personal conduct policy,” Goodell told ESPN’s Mike Greenberg in an interview in Detroit prior to the 2024 NFL Draft.
On Thursday, an NFL spokesperson told KCTV, “We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter which remains under review.”
FILE - Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice carries after a catch during warmups...
FILE - Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice carries after a catch during warmups before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sept. 15, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, File)(Reed Hoffmann | AP)
ALSO READ: Dallas County judge sentences Rashee Rice for role in multi-car crash in 2024
Rice, who starred for the Chiefs during the first three games of the 2024 season, had 24 receptions for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns to start last season. His availability for this season, as he returns from a season-ending knee injury, could determine the success of a Chiefs offense that was near league average in scoring last season.
Previous league history suggests the NFL’s personal-conduct policy has an inconsistent history with suspensions.
Players with a DUI conviction have typically been suspended three games, a precedent that may be applied to Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison after he pled guilty in a DUI case on Thursday.
Rice, however, was not known to have used alcohol or an illegal substance before the Dallas crash.
Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent was suspended 10 games in 2014 for a conviction of intoxication manslaughter. A year later, Seattle Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman was suspended indefinitely but only missed a game after an arrest on charges of vehicular assault and hit-and-run.
Kicker Aldrick Rosas was suspended four games in 2020 after three misdemeanors for a hit-and-run crash on June 15, 2020 in California.
In 2023, New York Jets cornerback Brandin Echols was suspended one game after being charged with fourth-degree assault by auto. Echols was accused of recklessly driving in a New Jersey crash that partially paralyzed a man.
In all, since 2018, no NFL suspension for an off-field incident other than gambling has cost a player more than 8 games.
As Rice’s civil cases continue to play out, a Chiefs spokesperson said the team won’t be commenting.
“The club is aware of the reports,” a spokesperson for the Chiefs said Thursday. “With it being an ongoing legal matter, we won’t have comment at this time.”
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