Former SMU star and current Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice will face charges in Dallas for allegedly causing a multiple collision accident during an illegal street race on April 1.
Rice, for whom the Dallas Police Department issued an arrest warrant on Wednesday, took responsibility for the crash, which was caught on camera by witnesses.
“I take full responsibility for my part in this matter and will continue to cooperate with the necessary authorities,” he wrote in a now-expired Instagram story. “I sincerely apologize to everyone impacted in Saturday’s accident.”
Rice was driving a leased Lamborghini SUV and street racing against a Corvette when he lost control, struck the median, and collided with four other vehicles. He and the driver of the Corvette, along with their passengers, fled the scene on foot and did not stop to check on the welfare of the victims of the crash previously reported by The Dallas Express. Both drivers face charges, but the passengers will not be charged under Texas law.
As DPD announced, Rice and the other driver each face one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury, and six counts of collision involving injury. The star wide receiver has yet to surrender to police.
The Kansas City Chiefs have not released a statement concerning the incident.
“In all these situations you have to wait until you have all the facts, and frankly, we don’t have all the facts at this point,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said in an interview Monday on KCMO, a Kansas City radio station, per NBC News. He added the team will “react accordingly” once more details are available.
Rice grew up in North Richland Hills and was a star at Southern Methodist University. The Chiefs selected him in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He set a record in his first season for receptions by a rookie in the postseason, with the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl that year.
The car collision caused injuries to several drivers, though they were described as minor. Under Texas law, Rice faces enhanced charges for fleeing the scene of an accident in which injuries are involved. One of the victims stated that she was upset that Rice fled the scene of the collision.
“And I’m just driving, [minding] my business, and next thing you know, I got hit on the left-hand side,” Kayla Quinn told CBS. “I was just trying to make sure that my baby was okay. He was crying. He was shaking the entire time.”
“It makes me mad because the guys … no one stopped,” said Quinn. “No one stopped to even check.”
It is unclear why Rice and the other driver fled the scene or why it took several days before the drivers contacted police to take responsibility.
