Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes addressed the legal matters involving his teammate and star wide receiver, Rashee Rice.
On Mar. 30, Rashee Rice and friend Teddy Knox (a player for SMU) were involved in a six-car accident in Dallas that left four people injured. Two people were hospitalized over their injuries but released soon after.
According to authorities, Rice was driving 119 MPH in his Lamborghini just before the crash. The second-year wide receiver is facing eight charges for his involvement in the accident, with a suspension from the league a strong likelihood.
Speaking to reporters about Rice’s status and Harrison Butker’s controversial comments at his Benedictine College commencement speech, Mahomes offered support for the star wideout while expressing confidence he’ll “learn from it”, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin:
“I think it’s just trying to do whatever we can to teach him how to learn from his mistakes. I mean, obviously, that was a big mistake. But you have to learn from it, make sure it doesn’t happen again and try to do whatever you can to be the best person you can be in society, not only for yourself but for the people around you.
And I think he is doing that. But right now, we’re just going to keep trying to do whatever we can to get him on the right path so that he can be a great football player, obviously, but we want him to be a great person too.”
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Rashee Rice’s arrest isn’t the only off-the-field distraction the Chiefs are dealing with right now. On May 11, Butker made headlines when he made homophobic, antisemitic, misogynistic and sexist remarks during his speech at Benedictine College.
In his speech, Butker told the female students in the graduating class that they should be “homemakers.” An online petition calling for Kansas City to release Butker has over 224,000 signatures.
Rice was the Chiefs’ top wide receiver of 2023, hauling in 79 receptions for 938 yards and seven touchdowns. In four postseason games, he racked up 26 catches for 262 yards and a touchdown as the Chiefs went on to defeat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 58.
Chiefs Will Move Forward With Rashee Rice & Harrison Butker
Going by the comments made by Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid to reporters on Wednesday, it looks like they plan to move forward with Rice and Butker still on the roster.
As noted earlier, there’s a strong possibility of the league suspending Rice. The Chiefs made two big moves at wide receiver that should help them get by during Rice’s absence, having signed Marquise Brown before trading up to select Xavier Worthy in round one.
