NFL proposed an unprecedented punishment for Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice: Report
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- NFL proposed double-digit game suspension for Rashee Rice after March crash
- NFLPA and Rice’s legal team pushed back citing lack of disciplinary precedent
- Judge Sue Robinson set to hear case; potential delay may affect postseason
Any hope of the “NFL favoring the Chiefs” narrative after their Super Bowl LIX loss vanished Thursday.
News of wide receiver Rashee Rice’s potential suspension being delayed until after the first month of the season set off media and fans. The public snipping between NBC Sports’ Mike Florio and Fox Sports’ Nick Wright was the most visible sign of the angst once against being directed at the Chiefs.
But public sentiment could change with the news that the NFL wanted to issue an unprecedented punishment against Rice.
The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Friday the league told Rice he was facing a suspension of more than half the season for his part in a March 2024 six-car crash on a Dallas freeway.
“My understanding is the NFL initially proposed a lengthy suspension, double digit games for Rashee Rice,” Pelissero said on “NFL Gameday.” “The players union and Rashee Rice’s attorney and agents argued for a much shorter suspension, in part because there is no precedent for suspending someone for over half the season in a case like this.”
An ESPN story said Rice is expected to have an NFL disciplinary hearing on Sept. 30 in New York. Former federal judge Sue Robinson will overhear the case, Pelissero said.
Robinson was appointed by the NFL and NFLPA as the disciplinary officer, CBS Sports said. She was scheduled to hear former Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr.’s disciplinary hearing in 2022 but the NFL and the NFLPA reached agreement on a length for his suspension for a domestic violence offense, CBS noted.
The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement allows players who don’t agree with the league’s proposed suspension for violating the Personal Conduct Policy to have a judge decide.
“There is still a possibility that the sides could come together and agree to a settlement on a suspension that would allow Rice to be suspended at the start of the season,” Pelissero said. “If not, then he would be eligible for at least those first three games.
“But given the fact that not only the decision-making process but potential appeals could extend that process into October or November, if it goes before Judge Robinson, this is something then that could potentially jeopardize his availability for the postseason.”
That would be a much worse outcome from the Chiefs’ perspective compared to an in-season suspension.
Rice, 25, said earlier this month he’s not focusing on a potential suspension.
“It’s still in the works,” Rice said at training camp. “My legal team is handling that. All I can do is focus on what I can control right now, and that’s me doing what I do best out here on the field.”
This story was originally published August 15, 2025 at 7:19 PM with the headline "NFL proposed an unprecedented punishment for Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice: Report."
