By DAVE SKRETTA, AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — While most of the Kansas City Chiefs participated in voluntary workouts this week, wide receiver Rashee Rice was back in Texas, serving his 30-day jail sentence after violating the terms of his probation for his role in a car crash that left multiple people injured.
The 26-year-old Rice was booked into the Dallas County jail May 19 after testing positive for THC. He is due to be released on June 16, which means he will miss all of the Chiefs’ voluntary workouts along with their mandatory three-day minicamp beginning June 9.
Making matters worse: Rice had surgery about a week before he was sentenced to jail to clean up debris in his right knee, which had been causing some inflammation. The latest legal trouble means he’s had to continue his rehab work while incarcerated.
“We think he’ll be ready for camp as we go forward. We’ll just see how it goes,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Thursday, after the third and final voluntary workout of the week. “He knows the rehab he can do there, and I think they’re keeping an eye on him as far as any possible infection goes.”
Rice was suspended for the first six games of last season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, which stemmed from the original crash in 2024 on a Dallas highway. It’s unclear whether he will be subject to more discipline for violating his probation.
“We’re moving forward as normal as we go here,” Reid said. “When he gets back, we’ve got to get him caught up in doing what he needs to do, and make sure he gets it. It’s not an easy thing he’s going through.
“Life lessons are important,” Reid added, “but we’re all given chances to learn, and he’s in that position now.”
Rice has been in that position before, though. During training camp ahead of last season, the former SMU standout said he “completely changed” and had grown from his experience with the car crash, and that “you have to learn from things like that.”
“I’ve learned and taken advantage of being able to learn from something like that,” Rice said.
Rice is expected to be a major part of the Kansas City offense as it tries to rebound from a 6-11 record last season.
The Chiefs did little to upgrade their wide receiver room in the offseason, pinning their hopes instead on continual improvement from Rice — who is going into the final year of his rookie contract — and young players such as Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals.
Rice has been good when available, catching 156 passes for 1,797 yards and 14 touchdowns and helping the Chiefs win the Super Bowl in the 2023 season. But he’s missed games to both suspension and injuries, resulting in just 28 games played over three seasons.
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