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Frank Dyevoich, a former defense attorney, takes a closer look at the charges that Rashee Rice faces and how it will affect his availability for the 2025 Fantasy Football season. Get his updated player outlook and draft ADP.
Rashee Rice is in legal trouble after he was caught on camera street racing a rented Lamborghini and a Corvette registered in his name, causing a multi-car collision, and leaving the scene of the accident.
The Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver and several individuals with whom he was can be seen exiting the vehicles and simply walking away down the Texas highway.
Dashcam footage of the Rashee Rice car crash on Central Expressway in Dallas pic.twitter.com/nyFpTj3cKZ
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We knew Rice was going to face charges, and we knew he would likely be suspended. However, breaking news has just been reported that Rice has accepted a plea deal that involves a diversionary program. So, what are his judicial penalties, and what can we expect the league to do in response? Let's dive in.
The Charges Against Rashee Rice
Since the accident, Rice has come out and said that he was the driver of the Lamborghini, and after the conclusion of their investigation, the Dallas Police Department issued a warrant for Rice's arrest. The warrant stated that Rice was driving approximately 119 mph at the time of the accident, and the Dallas PD has charged Rice with eight (8) different counts:
- Six counts of Texas Transportation Code Sec. 550.021(c)(2) - Collision involving personal injury or death - non-serious bodily injury;
- one count of Texas Transportation Code Sec. 550.021(c)(1) - Collision involving personal injury or death - serious bodily injury; and
- one count of Texas Penal Code Sec. 22.02(a)(2) - uses or exhibits a deadly weapon during the commission of an assault (the "weapon" is the vehicle).
It is important to note that the Texas Collision Involving Personal Injury or Death law is the equivalent of other states' Leaving the Scene of an Accident. It is also referred to as the Texas Failure to Render Aid law. Sec. 550.021(c)(2) is a class A misdemeanor but with harsher penalties. On these six counts, Rice faced up to five years in jail and fines of up to $5,000 for each count.
The Plea
Adam Schefter has reported that Rice accepted a plea deal today.
ESPN sources: A Dallas County judge just sentenced Chiefs WR Rashee Rice to five years probation and 30 days of jail time that can be served during those five years stemming for his role in a multi-car crash in Dallas during the 2024 offseason.
Now that the judge has ruled, the… pic.twitter.com/MKGytL6Lzk
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 17, 2025
The Dallas County District Attorney's office issued a statement revealing that Rice pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges for a collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury. The District Attorney's Office also revealed that Rice paid over $115,000 in restitution to the victims of the crash.
He will also serve a total of 30 days in jail, which can be served at any time during his five-year probation period. He will likely spend one night in jail, 30 times during the next five offseasons.
Of critical importance in this plea is that it was accepted as part of a diversionary program, where the charges will be dismissed upon completion of probation, provided there are no further incidents. It is also referred to as deferred adjudication. In New Jersey, it is referred to as a conditional discharge, and a defendant can only use it once in their lifetime.
Some people also want to know why there was no court proceeding on the calendar, as it appeared that Rice's charges would once again be pushed off until the next offseason. The short answer is that this deal was likely worked out between Rice's attorney and the prosecutor behind closed doors. These negotiations have likely taken place over the past several months and likely concluded when the prosecution agreed to offer the deferred adjudication avenue for Rice's charges.
Please note, this is all speculation based on my experience as a defense attorney.
Rice has already issued an apology.
Statement from Rashee Rice on "Talkin Chop" Instagram
Will Rashee Rice Be Suspended?
Update - Rice is expected to have his hearing with the NFL on September 30. As a result, Rice will now likely be able to play in the first four games of the season before any potential suspension is given.
The looming question that everyone wants to know is, now that Rice has pleaded guilty and been sentenced, will he be suspended? The public reaction has been mixed, with some enraged that he received only 30 days in jail and wanting to see Rice suspended for the entire 2025 season. While NFL punishments are unpredictable, I can emphatically say that a full-season suspension will not happen.
In my opinion, Rice is looking at a suspension of two games at the minimum, but no more than four games at the maximum.
Initially, I did not think Rice would be suspended at all because, at its core, this is a traffic accident. However, the fact that he was driving 119 mph, caused an accident, and fled the scene are aggravating factors that the league will likely take into account. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison was cited for going 140 mph in a 55 mph zone and did not receive any discipline from his team or the league; however, he did not cause an accident or any injuries.
On the flip side, in 1998, Leonard Little of the St. Louis Rams killed a woman while driving drunk and received only an eight-game suspension, but the NFL wised up in 2009 after it suspended Donte Stallworth for the entire season after he killed a pedestrian while driving drunk. We do not even need to discuss Henry Ruggs as he is serving 10 years in prison and will never play another down in the NFL.
His accident involved several aggravating factors and is not a suitable comparison to the Rice incident.
The reason I expect a small suspension for Rice next season is that this was more than a routine traffic accident, and the league may want to send a message to new players to make smarter decisions. Essentially, he was street racing at over 115 mph on a highway, caused a high-speed accident that resulted in several injured people, and fled the scene of the accident.
Rice did not kill anyone, but only because he was lucky, and it is in the NFL's best interest to try to deter the same type of reckless driving and disregard for the safety and well-being of others.
If he is suspended one to four games, I expect him to eat the suspension. However, if the NFL really tries to make an example out of him by suspending him for six games or more, there is no doubt that he will appeal, and he will likely win. NFL discipline appeals are no longer presided over by Roger Goodell. Instead, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement placed that power in the hands of an independent arbitrator, who is bound to rule on the fairness of punishments based on the NFL's history of player discipline.
It is why Deshaun Watson's suspension was reduced to 11 games because, despite 24 heinous allegations, the NFL has never suspended a player for the entire season based on sexual assault allegations that were not forcible r***. In this case, it bears repeating that the NFL has not suspended any player for involvement in a traffic accident that did not involve drugs/alcohol and/or result in a fatality.
Based on this, I am operating under the assumption that Rice will only be suspended for two to four games next season, and I am confidently trying to buy him low in all dynasty leagues. Fantasy managers had a very short memory this offseason, evidenced by Rice's second-round ADP.
The only explanation is that there was a public perception that his case would be pushed again until next offseason, because a suspension was always looming. A second-round ADP only made sense if managers were planning on having him for a full season.
Given his plea deal, the NFL can now take action, and I would expect his suspension to be reduced before the start of the season and take effect immediately. Thus, his ADP will likely fall to somewhere in the fifth to seventh rounds, and at that point, he actually becomes a value. Not only does it give him more time to fully heal and recover from his devastating knee injury that he suffered early last season, but if he only misses four games or fewer, fantasy managers will not even feel his absence that much.
Think of Puka Nacua last season. He was injured in Week 1 and missed five games, but then he came back in Week 8 and led fantasy managers to a title, finishing as the WR2 from Weeks 8-17, behind only Ja'Marr Chase.
Four weeks is nothing when it comes to the season-long grind of fantasy football, and managers will find themselves wishing Rice was on their team come October and beyond. My advice? Take full advantage of his inevitable drop in ADP and get ready to set your leagues on fire when he returns.
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