Rashee Rice has been ordered to serve 30 days in jail in Dallas after the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver tested positive for marijuana, violating the terms of his probation stemming from a high-speed crash on a Texas highway that injured several people two years ago.
Rice had previously avoided prison time over the incident after reaching a deal with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges related to a March 2024 multi-car collision on Dallas' North Central Expressway, where authorities say he was racing at 119 mph in a Lamborghini Urus before losing control. Under deferred adjudication, the case would have been dismissed if he completed a five-year probation without breaking its terms.
That fragile compromise has now unravelled. The Dallas County District Attorney's Office said on Tuesday that Rice's positive test for THC triggered the activation of his original custodial sentence for 'racing and causing bodily injury.'
One week before being ordered to serve 30 days in jail, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice underwent a clean-up surgery on his right knee to remove loose debris that was causing inflammation and now is expected to sideline him two months, league sources told ESPN. pic.twitter.com/d974eNNNSp
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 19, 2026
'Mr. Rice was taken into custody today in the 194th Judicial District Court for testing positive for THC and ordered to serve the 30 days that he had previously been ordered to serve at a later time starting today,' the DA's office said in a statement.
Court and jail records show Rice was booked into Dallas County jail at 1:25 p.m. ET and is scheduled for release on 16 June. The timing removes him from all of the Chiefs' organised team activities and their mandatory minicamp, which is due to conclude on 11 June, and drops yet another off-field complication into the lap of a franchise currently chasing a third straight Super Bowl.
Probation Breach Revives Dallas Crash Case
The Dallas crash turned Rice from promising young receiver into a recurring legal headline. Prosecutors said Rice and his former SMU team-mate Theodore Knox were racing along the North Central Expressway when both men lost control, triggering a pile-up that left several people injured. Video from the scene showed Rice, Knox and three passengers leaving on foot without checking on those hurt or waiting for police.
Less than two weeks later, Rice issued a public apology and turned himself in to the Glenn Heights Police Department after a warrant was issued for his arrest. In July 2025, he pleaded guilty to collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury, both third-degree felonies. In return for deferred adjudication and five years' probation, he avoided an immediate prison term.
The NFL responded by suspending Rice for six games last season under its personal conduct policy. He also missed time with a knee injury but still played a part in Kansas City's 2023 Super Bowl run, an awkward juxtaposition that has lingered over his rapid ascent in the league.
The Chiefs said this week they have been in contact with the NFL about Rice's positive test and subsequent jailing but declined further comment. The league also refused to expand on the team's brief statement. Rice's attorney, Thomas M. McMurray, could not immediately be reached, leaving his side of the latest development unheard in public.
Fallout Extends From Civil Courts to Chiefs' Offseason
The criminal case is only one strand of the Rice story running through the Texas courts. The crash has already produced a string of civil judgments and lawsuits that show little sign of ending soon.
Last month, a Texas court issued a default judgment against Knox, awarding crash victim Kathryn Kuykendall nearly $2.88 million after Judge Kim Bailey Phipps ruled Knox was 'grossly negligent.' Phipps had already ordered Rice last year to pay Kuykendall almost $1.1 million.
A separate civil case brought by other victims of the multi-car collision had been scheduled for trial on 9 June. Earlier this month, however, the parties agreed to a six-month continuance, though the court has not yet formally reset the date.
Another plaintiff, Kayla Quinn, has her own lawsuit against Rice with a trial pencilled in for 12 January 2027. None of the civil allegations has been resolved beyond the judgments already entered, and nothing is confirmed yet regarding potential additional damages, so everything should be taken with a grain of salt until final rulings are made.
The off-field picture around Rice widened again in February, when he was named in a separate lawsuit filed by Dacoda Jones. She alleges he repeatedly assaulted her over an 18‑month period from 2023 to 2025, including an incident in December 2023 in which she says he choked her.
The NFL announced on 3 April that it had closed its investigation into those abuse claims, saying there was 'insufficient evidence' to find a violation of the personal conduct policy. Jones' case, which sits in the civil rather than criminal system, has another hearing scheduled next month.
NEW: Rashee Rice’s mom was accused of stealing ‘40 items, including food, tumblers, and socks’ months before allegedly taking a neighbor’s package last week
— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) October 3, 2024
Marsha Kearney was arrested in spring for allegedly stealing 40 items, including ‘food, tumblers, laundry products,… pic.twitter.com/TyQLfa4CDN
All this comes as Rice is already recovering from a clean-up operation on his right knee. According to ESPN, he underwent surgery one week before his sentencing to remove loose debris that had been causing inflammation and is expected to be sidelined for around two months, with an eye on returning for training camp later in the summer.
On paper, the Kansas City Chiefs still have a talented receiver who has already helped them win a championship. In reality, they now have a player in county jail, facing a dense tangle of legal disputes and a long road back to anything resembling a clean slate.
