Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice was released from a Dallas County jail on Tuesday after serving a 30-day sentence for violating the terms of his probation, which stemmed from his role in a car crash that left multiple people injured on a Texas highway.
The 26-year-old Rice had been booked into the jail on May 19 after testing positive for THC. Upon his release, Rice made a quick dash past a handful of reporters and into a waiting SUV, which whisked him away from the facility.
Rice had surgery about a week before he was sentenced to clean up debris in his right knee, which had been causing inflammation. A judge approved a request from his lawyers to allow him to receive treatment at Parkland Hospital while serving his sentence.
Rice missed all the Chiefs’ voluntary offseason workouts and their mandatory minicamp, which concluded last week. But Chiefs coach Andy Reid said recently that he expects him to report on time to training camp at the end of July.
“[Chiefs trainer] Rick [Burkholder] has talked to him more than what I have,” Reid said, “just making sure that everything was set there where he could do some rehab with it and still do the time that he needed to take care of. So he’s on top of that, and thank goodness that they’re allowing him to do that. So, they’ve been great with that.”
The Chiefs are counting on Rice to help an offense that often struggled during a disappointing 6-11 finish last season.
He’s been valuable when he’s been 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 also missed games because of suspension and injuries, resulting in just 28 played in three seasons.
“We’re moving forward as normal, as we go here,” Reid said during voluntary workouts. “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.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
