Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice will have a disciplinary hearing with the NFL on Sept. 30 in New York, ESPN reported on Thursday.
The timing means Rice is available for the regular season's first four games before facing any potential punishment for his role in a multi-vehicle accident last year in Dallas.
The defending AFC champion Chiefs kick off their season against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 5 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. They host the Philadelphia Eagles in a Super Bowl LIX rematch
in Week 2, visit the New York Giants in Week 3 and host the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4.
Rice likely faces a multiple-game suspension from the NFL over the incident on March 30, 2024. The Lamborghini SUV he was driving on a Dallas freeway at speeds up to 119 mph struck a retaining wall in what the police called a "chain reaction collision," resulting in a six-car crash that left seven people with injuries.
The Chiefs have 12 wide receivers on their training camp roster. Hollywood Brown missed most of last season with a shoulder injury and is currently sidelined with a foot/ankle injury. Xavier Worthy caught 59 passes for 638 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie in 2024.
Rice pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony counts: collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years of probation. He has also paid more than $115,000 in restitution to victims for medical expenses.
Rice, 25, is returning from season-ending surgery on his right knee, an injury he sustained in Week 4 last season. He caught 24 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns in four starts before getting hurt.
A second-round draft pick in 2023, Rice set a Chiefs' rookie record for receiving touchdowns (seven) and receptions (79) that season. He also recorded the second-most receiving yards by a rookie in Chiefs history (938), trailing only Dwayne Bowe (995 in 2007).
--Field Level Media
