Rashee Rice could be suspended six games effective immediately if the Chiefs wide receiver agrees to accept terms of the NFL ban, ESPN reported Wednesday.
Rice and the league are set for a disciplinary hearing Sept. 30 in New York, but could meet prior to that if the 25-year-old accepts the terms of the league’s reported preference for suggested punishment under terms of the personal conduct policy.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement entitles Rice a hearing before a disciplinary officer jointly approved by the NFL and NFLPA. Former U.S. district judge Sue L. Robinson is scheduled for the Sept. 30 hearing centered around Rice pleading guilty to two third-degree felony charges for his role in a multicar crash in Dallas that left multiple people injured in 2024.
If no agreement on the terms of his NFL-levied punishment is reached, ESPN reported Rice is permitted to play Sept. 5 in Brazil in Kansas City’s regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, and the three other games prior to his sitdown with Robinson: Sept. 14 vs. Philadelphia, Sept. 21 at the NY Giants and Sept. 28 vs. Baltimore.
Accepting the six-game suspension would disqualify Rice from those four games in addition to Oct. 6 at Jacksonville and a home game against Detroit on Oct. 12.
He would be eligible to return Oct. 19, when the Chiefs entertain the Las Vegas Raiders.
Rice entered the plea for collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury. He was granted deferred adjudication on a 30-day jail sentence, and the case will be dismissed if he complies with the terms of his probation.
The No. 1 receiver for the Chiefs to begin the 2024 season, Rice had 24 receptions when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. As a rookie in 2023, he caught 79 passes for 938 yards and seven touchdowns.
