Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice called his time in jail this summer a "learning experience and a reality check" in his first public comments since last season.
"Don't focus on the past. Focus on what's going on now," he told reporters Tuesday. "I'm doing (well) mentally."
Rice, 26, was released from a Texas jail in mid-June after serving a 30-day sentence after testing positive for THC. That violated his probation for his role in a 2024 street-racing crash that left several people injured
in Dallas.
He pleaded guilty in July 2025 to two third-degree felony charges and was sentenced to five years of probation and deferred adjudication on a 30-day jail sentence.
Rice spent part of his time behind bars rehabbing his right knee following a cleanup procedure shortly before he was incarcerated.
"I was in there early in the morning until it was time for me to go," he said. "I would stretch it, do some activation on it and then hit the weight room and jog, just condition and get the muscle fatigue going as well as my stamina."
Rice said it was challenging to stay positive while in jail.
"It was tough. Mentally tough. They gave me ways to communicate with my teammates still, as well as my athletic trainer," Rice said. "Besides the hard times in there, I kept my mind right watching shows and as much (comedian) Kevin Hart as I can to laugh. Then without that, just communicating with everybody on the outside."
Rice, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract, increased his repetitions during the Chiefs' training camp practices this past week and says he wants people to know, "I'm 100 percent locked in on what's going on now with the team. Ready to go out there and dominate, and I've got a good group of brotherhood behind me."
It is unclear yet whether Rice will play Saturday when the Chiefs host the Los Angeles Rams in their preseason opener.
The NFL suspended Rice for six games to start the 2025 season for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
Rice caught 53 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns in eight games last season. A second-round pick by the Chiefs in 2023 out of SMU, Rice has 156 receptions for 1,797 yards and 14 scores in 28 career regular-season games. He was on the Super Bowl-championship squad his rookie season. He is entering the last year of his rookie contract.
--Field Level Media
