The NFL is paying close attention to the unfolding legal proceedings surrounding Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice.
Rice, 23, is suspected by police of racing and crashing his Corvette, believed to have caused a multi-vehicle crash, in Dallas before fleeing the scene.
Shocking dashcam footage emerged this weekend of a crash in Dallas involving six cars, followed by a group of men walking away from the scene.
The Super Bowl winner has retained legal counsel and is cooperating with authorities, his attorney said Monday.
Amid the ongoing investigation, the league is monitoring the situation surrounding Rice. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told ESPN’s Adam Schefter Tuesday.
Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is suspected by police of racing and crashing his Corvette
The NFL (photo commissioner Roger Goodell) said it is monitoring the legal situation
Fleeing the scene of an accident can result in serious criminal penalties in Texas, and if it is determined that Rice was driving the vehicle at the time of the crash, he could potentially face up to five years in prison, police said. NBC Sports.
The NFL and Chiefs could also take action themselves.
On Monday, Rice’s attorney Royce West said, “On behalf of Rashee Rice, his thoughts are with everyone affected by Saturday’s car accident.
“Rashee is working with local authorities and will take all necessary steps to handle this situation in a responsible manner.”
Earlier this week, the Chiefs broke their silence on the matter when franchise president Mark Donovan spoke on local radio and revealed he would not be rushing to conclusions or making any decisions just yet.
“In all these situations, you have to wait until you have all the facts, and honestly, we don’t have all the facts right now,” Donovan told KCMO’s Pete Mundo on Monday.
“The one reassuring fact we do have is that there has been a multi-car accident in Texas and Dallas, and fortunately it appears no one was injured and we should be grateful for that.
“We’re going to get to the bottom of it, we’re going to gather the facts and we’re going to respond accordingly.”
Chiefs president Mark Donovan (L) said Monday that the team will wait until all the facts are available when it comes to the case of Kansas City’s young wide receiver.
Dashcam footage of the incident shows a Lamborghini and a Corvette traveling at a high rate of speed and colliding with a gray car on the North Central Expressway, pulling the cars across the road. It is alleged that the Lamborghini and Corvette that police suspect Rice was driving were racing.
Five men from the Corvette and Lamborghini then appeared to walk away from the scene on the shoulder of the highway. Rice, who helped the Chiefs win a second straight Super Bowl in February, was wanted by police because the Corvette was registered or rented to him.
Dallas News also quoted a witness as saying they saw one of the men grab “guns and bags from the vehicles” before leaving the scene.
The incident is said to have occurred at 6:20 PM local time. It is believed the Lamborghini crashed into the center wall, causing ‘a chain reaction collision involving four other vehicles’, before the two drivers ran away.
The Super Bowl winner has hired counsel and is cooperating with authorities
A woman involved in the collision – identified as 27-year-old Kayla Quinn – said the crash endangered her four-year-old son and that the men who were speeding walked away from the crash site without compassion.
“Nobody stopped,” Quinn told the DMN. “We had kids, we had kids, you know what I mean?
“It’s the fact that no compassion was shown that allows you guys to even have the decency to stop and check to see if anyone is okay, or if anyone is still alive, you know?
“I’m just blessed that I was able to walk out of there because it could have been so much worse.”
Quinn’s son was checked by paramedics at the scene of the accident and everything seemed fine.
Rice grew up in the Fort Worth suburb of North Richland Hills, Texas, and spent all four years of his college career in Dallas at SMU.
Patrick Mahomes (right) spoke highly of how good Rice was for the Chiefs last season
Patrick Mahomes, Rice and Hollywood Brown were recently pictured practicing together
He recorded 79 catches and 938 yards with a team-leading seven touchdown receptions in 16 games (eight starts) after being selected by Kansas City in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
He also had 26 catches for 262 yards and a score in four playoff games to help the Chiefs secure their second straight Super Bowl title.
He set a franchise rookie playoff record with 130 receiving yards in January’s 26-7 playoff win over the Miami Dolphins and drew high praise from Travis Kelce.
“I’m proud of him,” Kelce said. “I think he’s come a long way and I think he’s still rising as a player in this offense. It was just fun to see him rise to the occasion and catapult us in a lot of ways, both in the passing game and the run game.”