Through vehicle registration records, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice was connected to a multi-car crash on March 30 in the Northeast Dallas area. Fox 4 Dallas reporter Amelia Jones offered “new details” on the ongoing police investigation on April 1.
“I just spoke to the attorney representing The Classic Lifestyle, the company that rented out the Lamborghini SUV involved in Saturday night’s crash,” Jones relayed. “The attorney confirmed the company rented the SUV to @Chiefs Wide Receiver Rashee Rice. Per company policy, only Rice was allowed to drive the car.”
Approximately two hours later on the evening of April 1, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport provided a recap of the latest on NFL Total Access.
From @NFLTotalAccess: The latest on #Chiefs WR Rashee Rice, who is now cooperating with local authorities after a multi-vehicle crash.
“First of all, the fact that Rashee Rice is apparently — according to his attorney Royce West — cooperating with local authorities [is] a positive step. They had been trying to find him, trying to talk to him over the last couple of days,” Rapoport began.
“Mark Donovan, the Chiefs president, spoke earlier today on KCMO radio saying that the team — this is the first real statement from the team on this matter — wanted to wait until they had all the facts,” the insider went on. “[Donovan] did confirm that there was a multi-car crash and according to him, doesn’t appear anyone was hurt which is another positive sign. Initial police reports had indicated that there were injuries to four people involved, two of them taken to the hospital.”
After summing up the known details of the initial accident once again, Rapoport informed that Rice is “from the Dallas area,” having attended Dallas-based university SMU. He added that there were “questions” about the wideout’s off-the-field activities and relationships during the pre-draft process, although Rice had no off-the-field issues during his rookie campaign.
Official Statement From Attorney of Chiefs WR Rashee Rice
Rapoport referenced a statement from Rice’s attorney, Royce West. That statement was first released by ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter. Fox 4 Dallas’ Amelia Jones and KCMO radio later confirmed this statement, among others.
“On behalf of Rashee Rice, his thoughts are with everyone impacted by the automobile accident on Saturday,” West began.
Continuing: “Rashee is cooperating with local authorities and will take all necessary steps to address this situation responsibly. Any and all requests for comment can be directed to his attorney Mr. Royce West of West & Associates, LLP.”
Response From Chiefs President Mark Donovan
As usual, the Chiefs organization chose to operate with patience as they wait on the police investigation to be completed.
“In all these situations you have to wait until you have all the facts and frankly, we don’t have all the facts at this point,” Donovan noted during an April 1 interview with KCMO’s Pete Mundo.
“The one comforting fact that we do have is that there was a multi-car crash in [Dallas, Texas], and fortunately, it doesn’t appear that anyone was hurt, and we should be grateful for that,” the Chiefs president added.
He concluded that the organization will “get to the bottom of it” after gathering the facts. After that point, Donovan voiced that “we’ll react accordingly.”
Whether or not Rice was driving either of the two vehicles — a Chevrolet Corvette and a Lamborghini SUV — that appeared to cause the crash is unclear as of April 1. Video surfaced of a group of at least four men abandoning the involved vehicles at the scene of the accident, although their identities have not been confirmed at this time.
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Dallas Reporter, NFL Insider Offer Updates on Ongoing Rashee Rice Situation