The future of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice remains uncertain as he continues to recover from a serious knee injury. During the Sunday, September 29th game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Rice took a nasty hit from teammate Patrick Mahomes. As Rice was attempting to make a tackle following Mahomes throwing an interception, Mahomes also attempted the same maneuver, causing him to inadvertently slam into Rice’s knee. He was carted off the field, with Chiefs head coach Andy Reid confirming in a brief halftime interview that Rice’s condition was “not good.”
As of now, no clear diagnosis has been announced. However, Adam Schefter, ESPN Senior NFL Insider, shared in a September 29 tweet that the Chiefs feared Rice may have suffered a torn ACL, though more testing was needed.
If this is confirmed to be true, Rice could be in for a long recovery, which would likely see him benched for the rest of the season. Such an event can be devastating for a player this early in his career. Rice was drafted by the Chiefs just last year in the second round. He earned a Super Bowl LVIII ring in his first professional season. In late February 2024, Rice was named the team’s Rookie of the Year. The team is undoubtedly experiencing a void in his absence, In the upcoming days, there may be finally answers regarding the extent of his injury.
An Upcoming Procedure Will Determine Rice’s Knee Damage
On Saturday, October 5, NFL Network journalist and insider Ian Rapoport shared that Rice would undergo an arthroscopic procedure to assess the damage to his knee. Sources reportedly confirmed that the 24-year-old would meet with leading knee expert Dr. Dan Cooper for the operation. This is slated to occur as early as Monday and provide a more clear timeline for when Rice would return to the field. For now, Rice remains on injured reserve, deeming him out for at least four games. He has remained quiet on the matter, but aside from his health matter, legal drama continues to loom over his head.
Alleged Victims In His Car Wreck Lawsuit Are Hoping His Injury Sparks Empathy
Back on March 30, 2024, Rice was racing his Lamborghini Urus against friend Theodore Knox, who was driving a Corvette. The pair lost control, hitting innocent drivers on the roadway. Victims of the crash, Edvard Petrovskiy and Irina Gromova, filed a lawsuit the following month, sharing that they’d suffered brain injuries, cuts and bruises to their bodies, and internal bleeding in the Dallas, Texas crash.
The pair are seeking at least $10 million in punitive damages. Unfortunately, the case is not set to go to trial until June 2025. The attorney representing them, Sanjay S. Mathur, told TMZ Sports that they hoped Rice being out for a while would motivate him to wrap up the case quickly.
“We are struck by the fact that Rice was injured at a time when the plaintiffs in our case against him are seeking justice for their own injuries,” Mathur told the outlet. “We hope that these recent developments will foster empathy, a resolve to seek resolution, and, most importantly, an acceptance of responsibility toward the injured parties in our case.”
Rice previously expressed remorse, though he may face eventual discipline from the Chiefs or the NFL when the trial gets closer.
