No realistic Kansas City Chiefs fan has been operating under the guise that star wide receiver Rashee Rice is going to avoid a suspension. He recently pled guilty of his role in a multi-car crash in Dallas, receiving a 30-day jail sentence (which can be served out of season) and five years probation as well. With the NFL season starting, though, the inevitable suspension is what Chiefs fans are most concerned with. And Rice's latest comments on that possibility shouldn't exactly fill the fan base with optimism.
Speaking with Chiefs beat writer Nate Taylor of ESPN after Saturday's training camp practice, Rice seemingly was trying to say that the suspension isn't his main focus as he's trying to put in all of the work, especially after last year's season-ending knee injury, to be ready to play in the 2025 season when he can. However, his comments not only make the suspension sound inevitable, but were also a bit foreboding in the subtext that it might be coming sooner than some fans might expect, perhaps to start the season.
"Honestly, it's still in the works," Rice said. "My legal team is handling that. All I can do is focus on what I can control right now, and that's me doing what I do best right here on the field."
The vague "still in the works" before passing off the knowledge of the situation is a textbook maneuver when asked about similar situations. However, it does certainly sound with the second part of the comments coming right after that Rice might know he won't be on the field with the Chiefs come Week 1 and is trying his best to just be ready for whenever he could play.
Chiefs fans should expect Rashee Rice suspension early in season
Because the Rice suspension is both expected and unsurprising at this point, it might not seem like the most worrisome thing in the world that he expects it. However, the crucial thing to remember is that Rice is quite clearly the No. 1 target in the Patrick Mahomes-led offense when he's on the field. It becomes murkier after that, however, and an early run of training camp injuries only add to the concern that should come with that.
Xavier Worthy is in concussion protocol, Marquise "Hollywood" Brown has missed practice with a leg injury, and the list goes on. Now, it's obviously important to note that none of this remotely looks like it will linger over the next month-plush and into the regular season. What it absolutely does, though, is highlight the balancing act that the Chiefs passing game could be playing without Rice in the fold.
Frankly, we saw it at the end of last season. Rookie Jalen Royals is in the building to help alleviate some of that, but this offense is much less dynamic without Rice. And if there's an injury that were to crop up while Rice is serving his ban, that would only make things more precarious for the passing game with the lack of proven or consistent receiving options.
Let's be clear that there's a real chance that I could be over-reading into Rice's comments. But once you've seen this type of song and dance enough times before, you start to recognize some of the calling cards. In this case, when someone is talking about the legal team handling it and just putting in the work, it's normally a sign that something is coming down soon. And that timing, specifically, could put the Chiefs in a tough spot.
Rashee Rice claims to be 'changed' after driving incident
If there's one positive to take away from this, though, it's that Rice appears to have matured from this unfortunate experience. He also seems quite clear that he's "changed" and that Chiefs fans won't have to worry about something even remotely similar to this happening with the wide receiver again.
"I learned just how valuable any opportunity and moment is," Rice said, via Taylor. "This right here, us being able to be on the field and be coached by Coach [Andy] Reid and have such a great quarterback, is honestly a gift, a blessing.
"I've completely changed. Honestly, you have to learn from things like that. I've taken advantage of being able to learn from something like that."
Chiefs fans can only hope that's the case. Rice is an undeniably gifted player and a crucial cog in the offense. More importantly, though, no one wants to see an athlete with that level of talent throw that all away for something senseless and, frankly, stupid like reckless driving. Everyone in Kansas City and beyond should be hoping Rice indeed learned from his irresponsible behavior and is simply better moving forward in his career.