Rashee Rice wide receiverKansas City Chiefs
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 27: Rashee Rice #4 of the Kansas City Chiefs scores a receiving touchdown in front of Malik Hooker #28 of the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarter in the game at AT&T Stadium on November 27, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The Kansas City Chiefs are having to deal with yet another Rashee Rice scandal, this time in the form of a lawsuit being put forward against him by his ex-girlfriend Dacoda Jones.
Jones alleges in the lawsuit that Rice physically assaulted her in a number of different ways on multiple occasions spanning from December 2023 until July 2025, including when she was was pregnant with their child.
This carried on from allegations made by Jones back in early January, where she posted on Instagram, accusing Rice of physically abusing her and destroying her clothing, amongst other things.
Rice’s attorney Sean Lindsey produced a statement on the lawsuit, as reported by ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter.
“On October 9th, 2025, well after the parties’ relationship had ended, Ms. Jones stated under penalty of perjury in a sworn Affadavit 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.” Lindsey stated, via Schefter.
An Affadavit for Non-Prosecution is a statement done when a plaintiff – in this case Dacoda Jones – does not want to pursue criminal charges.
The Chiefs have also released a statement regarding Rice’s situation, per ESPN’s Nate Taylor.
Here's the Chiefs' statement regarding Rashee Rice: “The club is aware & remains in communication with the National Football League.” https://t.co/4x4zIja3sn
— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) February 18, 2026
“The club is aware & remains in communication with the National Football League.” The team stated, via Taylor.
The statement is hardly anything significant or meaningful, but as is the case in many similar situations, NFL franchises prefer to say as little as possible until more information becomes clear.
How Will This Lawsuit Impact Rice’s Playing Ability in 2026?
At this point it is not exactly clear the extent to which this civil case could lead to a suspension or more for Rice.
Civil cases do not carry judicial penalties in the same way that criminal ones do, but as the burden of proof is lower a conviction is more likely.
If he is convicted in this civil case, expect him to once again face time on the sidelines, with this punishment potentially being more severe than the six-game suspension he served at the beginning of the 2025 season for his role in a multi-car crash back in 2024.
The number could be increased to eight, ten or even a full season depending on the further details of and outcome of the suit.
Rice is also, critically, in a contract year. So if more ugly-looking details do surface and he is given a hefty suspension taking him out of much or all of the 2026, it is not even out of the realms of possibility that the Chiefs could cut him to make a point.
But at this point in time, there the trial has not even started and no evidence has been presented as of yet, so it is almost impossible to tell what will become of Rice moving forward.
The only thing we do know is that it is not good for him or Kansas City.