Kansas City Chiefs get another Rashee Rice curveball from the NFL, but this one could end up working to their favor
The Chiefs have received another Rashee Rice curveball, but this one has a chance to work out in their favor.
The Rashee Rice saga continues for the Kansas City Chiefs with a new curveball from the NFL.
When Rice resolved his criminal and civil cases stemming from a crash on July 17, 2025 — receiving a sentence of five years of probation and 30 days of jail time — the expectation was that Rice would be suspended to start the 2025 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Now, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Rice will have a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 30, in New York.
That would potentially leave Rice eligible to play in the first four weeks of the 2025 season before any discipline from the league.
Now, there is always the chance that the league could place him on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, with missed games considered as “time served.” That would be fairly unprecedented, especially considering he wasn’t placed on the list at the time of the crash and allowed to play in 2024.
Why this situation with Rashee Rice might work to the Kansas City Chiefs’ benefit
Kansas City has a really tough early-season schedule in 2025. Rice will be eligible to play in the Chiefs’ Week 1 game against the Chargers in Brazil, the Week 2 Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles, a Week 3 game against the Giants in prime time, and a Week 4 game against the Baltimore Ravens based on the timing of his disciplinary hearing. That’s three playoff teams and a New York team with perhaps the most dominant defensive line in football. If Rice receives a four-game suspension after the hearing, he’d miss Week 5 through Week 8, which includes games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, and Washington Commanders. I know which stretch of four games I’d rather have Rice for.
The potential downside to this? Now, we get to hear about how the NFL unfairly favors the Chiefs with this decision. The reality is that Rice has a complicated case, and the league precedent for investigating and reviewing findings is 60-90 days after criminal proceedings conclude. The Sept. 30 mark is 75 days from July 17, when Rice’s criminal and civil cases were resolved.
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