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The Kansas City Chiefs look set to head into their 2024/25 NFL season without their star wide receiver, Rashee Rice, as he is primed to be suspended for his role in a high-speed crash in Dallas at the end of March: Rice is currently facing an $11 million dollar lawsuit and eight felony charges
The news comes as per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, an insider, who believes Rice could be looking at a multi-game suspension which will be in effect come the start of the season when they face the Baltimore Ravens on opening night.
“The league is certainly looking into it,” Schefter said to NFL Live. “And it certainly sounds like the Chiefs are bracing for a multi-game suspension for Rashee Rice, and it doesn’t look like he’s going to be a part of that start of the season, that opening night game against the Baltimore Ravens. Rice is currently facing an $11 million dollar lawsuit and eight felony charges for racing sportscars through the busy Texas city, which resulted in a crash and left two people injured. The 24-year-old does deny the lawsuits’ claims by calling for strong evidence and credibility, but he does not contest being involved in the accident.
That means that his NFL career hangs in the balance just three months after he became a Super Bowl champion as the Chiefs and Roger Goodell (NFL Commissioner) could suspend him from playing if he’s found to be in breach of the organization’s, and League’s, rules.
“Again, the personal conduct policy mandates certain discipline be in place no matter what, and the facts right now are such that they are against Rashee Rice, and we’ll see what the investigation turns up, but there’s certainly concern within the organization, considering what has happened this offseason.
“Considering that alleged harassment last week, the latest involvement, considering the history that he had in college as well, there’s a slew of incidents here that the league is sifting through that is likely to result in a multi-game suspension.” The Ravens had won the AFC Conference in 2023/24, meaning that fresh out of the gates it will be a big game for the Chiefs as they look to kick off a successful Super Bowl defense after beating the San Francisco 49ers in February.
But they will be without Rice, who turned out to be their only reliable receiver after their NFL bye week last season, in what would be a huge loss to Andy Reid’s arsenal. So, who will be set to step in? “There’s a real possibility that the Chiefs know that they’ll be without Rashee Rice,” Schefter continued. “Setting up, of course, the Hollywood Brown revenge game against the Baltimore Ravens, his former team.
“He signed with the Chiefs this offseason, they’re going to need him, they’re going to need Xavier Worthy, they’re going to need these other players to step up in the absence of Rashee Rice.” Does that mean the Chiefs might even use Louis Rees-Zammit? The ex-Rugby Union player was selected as Reid’s pick from the International Player Pathway Program.
Lightning quick, strong and able to take a hit, he’s thought to be deployed in a specialist capacity in his debut NFL season so might he star against the Ravens if the Chiefs come up with some clever plays to beat Lamar Jackson’s offense?