Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice, who grew up in Texas and played college football at SMU, is under investigation for potential involvement in a Dallas-area car accident that put at least one person in the hospital.
According to a report by the Dallas Morning News, a vehicle “believed to be registered or leased” to Rice was involved in the wreck early Saturday evening.
Here’s a local news report that provides video in the aftermath of the multi-car crash, including the detail of at least one person being in the hospital.
The crash took place around 6:20 p.m. local time, and as of this writing, police have yet to locate Rice in their search for him. It’s unclear whether or not he was behind the wheel of the vehicle allegedly registered or leased by him, but it doesn’t bode well that police haven’t been able to find him.
If Rice is indeed involved in some sort of hit-and-run type of deal, that would obviously have major implications for the Chiefs. The 23-year-old playmaker was the 55th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and emerged as a reliable target for superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes as the season wore on.
Rice recorded 79 receptions for 938 yards and seven TDs in his rookie regular season, and had 26 catches for 262 yards and a score in the playoffs as Kansas City went on to win Super Bowl LVIII. His breakout performance helped ease the criticism of the Chiefs’ much-maligned receiving corps. Kansas City nevertheless added former first-round pick Marquise “Hollywood” Brown on a one-year deal in free agency, and could acquire another wideout relatively early in this year’s draft.
All that said, the game of football is taking a backseat at the minute to this very serious situation outside the lines. Not much more to be done at this point other than await more details on Rice’s whereabouts, and hope that everyone involved in the accident comes out of it OK.
