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The length of Rashee Rice’s suspension could be affected by an unreported college incident




The last time we saw Rashee Rice on a football field was in February when he helped the Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LVIII. A lot has changed since then.

Rice faces eight felony charges stemming from the street racing incident in March. NFL Network’s James Palmer then reported that the Chiefs expected to suspend Rice for “at least half a season.”

More recently, Rice is under investigation for an alleged attack on a photographer at a Texas nightclub. Depending on what the investigation reveals, Rice’s expected NFL personal conduct policy suspension could be affected by his recent incident.

Does the SMU incident impact the NFL’s decision to suspend Rashee Rice?

Photo credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Now, however, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio suggests that a previously unreported incident during Rice’s college career at SMU could also play a role in the NFL’s decision to suspend the Chiefs receiver.

“According to multiple sources, several teams learned during the pre-draft process of an alleged incident involving Rice while he was at SMU. Rice believed that former SMU basketball player Kendric Davis was seeing Rice’s girlfriend. According to the specific information gathered by at least one team, Rice and some of his friends went to an SMU basketball game. According to specific information collected by at least one team, Rice (or someone with him) fired several bullets into Kendric Davis’ empty car.”


Mike Florio on Rashee Rice’s SMU career potentially impacting his NFL suspension length

Although the encounter was never reported to police, Florio notes that “multiple sources” believe every team (including the Chiefs) was aware of Rice’s history at SMU, including the aforementioned incident.

The NFL’s personal conduct policy does state that “players with a history of misconduct, including misconduct committed prior to their association with the NFL, will be subject to increased and/or accelerated discipline.”

If that’s the case, Rice’s previously expected 8-9 game suspension could last even longer for a Chiefs team looking to become the first to make three in the Super Bowl era.

Related: Super Bowl odds: Every team’s championship futures for the 2024 NFL season