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The dust is still settling in the wake of the car crash that led to Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice making headlines for all of the wrong reasons at the end of March, and he’s now learned the punishment he could be facing as a result.
It’s been less than two months since Rashee Rice wrapped up a stellar playoff run that saw him secure his first Super Bowl ring following the conclusion of his rookie season with the Kansas City Chiefs. However, it seems like there’s a solid chance he won’t be on the sideline when they kick off their next campaign last season thanks to what unfolded last month.
On March 30th, Rice was involved in a high-speed crash that unfolded in Dallas after the Lamborghini he was driving careened into a wall and sparked a chain reaction involving a Corvette being driven by some of his friends in addition to four vehicles that ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
There thankfully weren’t any serious injuries (four people were treated for minor ailments), but Rice understandably caught plenty of heat—and the attention of law enforcement—after he was filmed leaving the scene of the incident before eventually acknowledging his role in the collision.
Things took another twist last week when we learned police allegedly discovered around 11 grams of marijuana in the Lambo he abandoned. According to ESPN, it appears Rice may have avoided any legal repercussions on the drug front, but he’s still facing a pretty lengthy list of charges now that a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
On Wednesday, Dallas police announced Rice is facing a grand total of eight felony charges: “one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury, and six counts of collision involving injury.”
The first of those charges is the most serious, as Rice could theoretically spend up to 20 years in prison if he’s found guilty (the second one is accompanied by up to 10 years, while the third maxes out at five).
However, it’s very, very unlikely any punishment he receives will come close to any of those numbers, as he’s seemingly cooperated with the investigation and has plenty of money to spend on a legal team that will likely be able to work out a plea deal.
With that said, The Athletic reports it’s very likely Rice will be hit with a suspension regardless of how the criminal case plays out, so while he may be able to avoid jail, he’ll probably be out of commission for at least a few games next season.