Rashee Rice has started the 2026 NFL season with what he called a “reality check.”
On Tuesday, the Chiefs wide receiver broke his silence about the 30 days he spent in jail after he broke the terms of his probation that stemmed from his role in a car crash in 2024 that left several people injured.
“It was a learning experience and a reality check,” Rice said in his first public comments, according to ESPN. “Don’t focus on the past. Focus on what’s going on now. I’m doing [well] mentally.
“It was mentally tough. They gave me ways to communicate with my teammates still and as well as my athletic trainer. Besides the hard times in there, I kept my mind right watching shows and as much [of comedian] Kevin Hart as I could to laugh.”
Rice was thrown behind bars in Texas on May 19 around 12:25 p.m. after prosecutors alleged he tested positive for THC.
He had a release date of June 16 and thus missed the Chiefs’ mandatory OTA minicamp.
The incident stemmed from a high speed car crash in March 2024, of which the 26-year-old ended up pleading guilty to two felonies — one count of racing on a highway causing bodily injury and one count of collision involving serious bodily injury.
Rice was accused of crashing a 2020 Lamborghini Urus SUV while driving on a Dallas highway at more than 100 mph. After the crash, he allegedly fled from the scene.
He was sentenced to five years probation and was ordered to pay restitution to victims that totaled over $114,000. The NFL eventually levied a six-game suspension against Rice for violating the league’s personal conduct policy for his role in the crash.
A week before serving his jail sentence, Rice underwent surgery on his right knee, which had inflammation throughout the 2025 season.
He was granted permission by a judge to receive treatment at Parkland Hospital during the sentence.
“I was in there early in the morning until it was time for me to go,” Rice said. “I would stretch it, do some activation on it and then hit the weight room and jog, just condition and get the muscle fatigue going as well as my stamina.”
“Honestly, I thought it was probably a bit of swelling,” he added. “I didn’t know it was something that needed to have surgery. We’re kind of taught to just keep going until you can’t anymore. It was the perfect time for me to get it cleaned up so that it wouldn’t affect me for this season.”
Rice, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract, finished the year with 571 yards for five touchdowns across eight games.
Head coach Andy Reid has yet to say if Rice will play in the Chiefs’ preseason opener against the Rams.
