Rice faces criminal charges for his involvement in a March 2024 hit-and-run car crash in Dallas.[2][3][4]
Early life
Rice was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but grew up in North Richland Hills, Texas, and attended Richland High School.[5] As a junior, he caught 72 passes for 1,386 yards and 19 touchdowns and was named first team all-district.[6] Rice was rated a three-star recruit and committed to play college football at Southern Methodist University (SMU) entering his senior year.[7] Constantly double teamed his senior season, Rice finished his final high school season with a modest 51 receptions for 841 yards and five touchdowns.[8]
College career
Rice played in ten games as a freshman and had 25 receptions for 403 yards and one touchdown.[9][10] He became a starter during his sophomore season and caught 48 passes for 683 yards and five touchdowns.[11] Rice had 64 receptions for 670 yards and nine touchdowns and was named honorable mention All-American Athletic Conference (AAC) as a junior.[12][13] In the 2022 season, he had 96 receptions for 1,355 receiving yards and ten receiving touchdowns. He had six games on the year going over 100 receiving yards.[14]
In Rice's professional debut in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, he scored his first career touchdown in a loss.[18] He achieved his first 100 yard receiving game in Week 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders.[19] In Week 15 against the New England Patriots, he broke the Chiefs rookie receiving touchdowns record.[20] In Week 17 against the Bengals, he had five receptions for 127 yards in the 25–17 win.[21] In the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, Rice had eight receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown in the 26–7 win over the Dolphins.[22] The Chiefs reached Super Bowl LVIII in Rice's rookie season, in which Rice caught six passes for 39 yards in a 25–22 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.[23] Rice broke the NFL postseason rookie receptions record, catching 26 passes, one more than previous record-holder Cincinnati Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase two years prior.[1]
2024 season
Rice opened the 2024 season with seven receptions for 103 yards in the 27–20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1.[24] In Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Rice left the game with a knee injury after he collided with quarterback Patrick Mahomes.[25] The Chiefs placed Rice on injured reserve on October 3, 2024.[26] On October 8, Rice underwent surgery to repair his LCL and hamstring. He will miss the rest of the season and is expected to make a full recovery.[27]
Legal issues
On March 30, 2024, Rice was the driver of a Lamborghini Urus involved in a high-speed hit and run crash on North Central Expressway in Dallas, together with a Chevrolet Corvette he was leasing.[28][29][30][31] Four other vehicles were damaged in what Dallas police called a "chain reaction collision" after the Lamborghini struck a retaining wall. Video obtained by The Dallas Morning News shows five men disembarking from the Urus and the Corvette and leaving the scene on foot without checking on the occupants of the other four vehicles.[32] Two of those occupants were transported to a hospital, and two others were treated for minor injuries at the scene.[29]
On April 3, Rice met with Dallas police, and in a statement sent to the Morning News, he said that he takes "full responsibility" for his part in the collision. His attorney Royce West said Rice "is cooperating with local authorities and will take all necessary steps to address this situation responsibly."[33] On April 4, West confirmed that Rice had been driving the Lamborghini.[30][31] According to a police report obtained by WFAA, 10.8 grams (0.38 oz) of marijuana were found in the Lamborghini; possession of this amount is a Class B misdemeanor in Texas.[31]
On April 10, Dallas police issued an arrest warrant for Rice and announced that he had been charged with one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury, and six counts of collision involving injuries. The Corvette driver was identified and faces the same charges.[3][4]
On April 11, Rice turned himself in to Glenn Heights police and was briefly jailed in DeSoto before being released later that day on bail.[34][35]
On May 7, Dallas police announced that Rice was under investigation for allegedly punching a photographer at a downtown Dallas club. Rice was not arrested or charged with a crime. On May 21, Dallas police said that the victim declined to press charges.[36][37]
