Patrick Mahomes: Chiefs working to get embattled Rashee Rice ‘on the right path’
Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice, following a tumultuous offseason, has been receiving encouragement from teammates.
And that includes quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Rice, who faces eight charges for his involvement in a Dallas car crash and a few weeks later was investigated by Dallas police for an alleged nightclub assault, worked fully with the Chiefs during Wednesday’s Organized Team Activities at the team facility.
Mahomes said teammates have been working to counsel Rice following his offseason missteps, which included the crash in which a police affidavit stated the second-year pro was going 119 mph.
“I think just trying to do whatever we can to teach him how to learn from his mistakes,” Mahomes said of Rice on Wednesday. “I mean, obviously, that was a big mistake, but you have to learn from it, make sure it doesn’t happen again and try to do whatever you can to be the best person you can be in society — not only for yourself, but for the people around you. I think he is doing that.”
At some point, Rice is likely to be suspended by the NFL for violating its personal conduct policy. His legal matter also remains pending, as one aggravated assault charge is a second-degree felony, while a count of collision involving serious bodily injury is a third-degree felony.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said the team had open communication with Rice about the incidents. He said the team would “let the process play its way out” while allowing him to practice in the meantime.
Mahomes also spoke about the Chiefs working with Rice at a critical point in his career — and life.
“We’re just gonna keep trying to do whatever we can to get him on the right path,” Mahomes said, “so that he can be a great football player, obviously, but we want him to be a great person, too.”
Two months after his crash, Dallas police said Rice was under investigation after a photographer claimed the receiver punched him in the face in the early morning at a nightclub. On Tuesday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the photographer had since requested police not pursue charges.
Reid said coaches spoke with players before they left after the season, telling them the importance of making wise decisions while away from the team.
“But sometimes things happen,” Reid said, “and you’ve got to work through that.”
Rice potentially would’ve been in line for a big year — from the beginning — if not for his legal issues. The Chiefs’ 2023 second-round pick out of SMU led the team’s wide receivers with 79 catches for 938 yards and seven touchdowns last season while also contributing 26 postseason receptions — an NFL record for a rookie.
For now, Rice is working to prove he can be reliable off the field for KC while attempting to rebuild trust with those around him.
Mahomes, meanwhile, knows that this offseason’s events have made it even more critical for teammates to conduct themselves appropriately in the near term.
“It’s just about being as smart as we can when we’re not in the building,” Mahomes said. “And I think the guys understand we have to step up as a team and an organization in that way.
“But we have to go out there and prove that, in order for other people to believe that as well.”
