Rashee Rice breaks silence on off-field issues

Rashee Rice has made headlines for all the wrong reasons this offseason, and the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver has finally addressed the issues in public.

Rice spoke with reporters on Saturday from a youth football camp he helped put on with several other Chiefs receivers. He said he is “trying to mature and continue to grow” in the wake of the incidents he was responsible for over the past several months.

“I’ve learned so much from that,” Rice said, according to ESPN. “All I can do is mature and continue to grow from that. This is a step in a better direction for me.”

Rice is facing eight felony charges over his alleged role in a multi-car accident that took place in March. Rice was allegedly racing another car down the freeway at a high rate of speed and lost control of his vehicle, causing a crash that resulted in multiple injuries (see the video here). Rice and several others fled the scene.

“Accidents and stuff like that happen, but all you can do is move forward and walk around being the same person, try to be positive so that everybody can feel your love and your great energy,” Rice added.

Then in May, Rice was accused of hitting a photographer outside a nightclub in Dallas, Texas. The photographer told police that he had left the club when Rice sent the alleged victim a message indicating Rice wanted to hire the man. When the photographer got back to the club, he says Rice handed him a phone to look at something and that Rice then punched the man in the left side of the face.

The alleged victim in the nightclub incident eventually decided not to press charges, so Rice may avoid legal trouble in that case.

Rice had an outstanding rookie season with 79 catches for 938 yards and a team-leading 7 touchdowns. He also had 26 catches for 262 yards and a touchdown in Kansas City’s four playoff games. The Chiefs are bracing for significant NFL discipline for the 24-year-old.