Rashee Rice’s NFL suspension stemming from a racing incident last summer will begin sooner than previously thought.
The Chiefs wideout is accepting a six-game suspension that will begin Week 1 of the NFL season, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media first reported. This means Rice will miss games against the Chargers, Eagles, Giants, Ravens, Jaguars, and Lions. He is slated to return Oct. 19 against the Raiders.
Rice pleaded guilty in July to two felonies relating to the racing incident. Last year, Rice and an associate were racing on a Texas highway, causing a car crash in which multiple other citizens were injured. Rice, who was in a Lamborghini, fled the scene of the accident. He will serve 30 days in jail after the guilty plea.
Previously, the assumption was that Rice would not serve his suspension until midway through this season as his disciplinary hearing was not going to happen until Sept. 30.
However, Rice received a lot of backlash to the idea that his discipline would be deferred, with ProFootBallTalk founder Mike Florio pointing out that Vikings receiver Jordan Addison, who pled guilty to DUI on the same day as Rice’s guilty plea, would be suspended to start the season.
Rice, who is returning from a torn ACL that sidelined him for most of last season, is widely regarded as Patrick Mahomes’s top receiver entering this season.
