Prior to the 2025 NFL season, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice accepted a six-game suspension following his guilty plea to multiple charges stemming from a street-racing incident in March 2024
However, Rice is now set to serve 30 days in jail after testing positive for THC and breaking the conditions of his probation. With that, Mike Florio of “Pro Football Talk” ponders if this could lead to another suspension for the Chiefs’ fourth-year receiver.
Chiefs WR Rashee Rice Consistently in the Headlines
Over at “Pro Football Talk,” Florio laid out some scenarios in which Rice could face another suspension as he serves 30 days in jail.
He started by mentioning the Personal Conduct policy and how it could apply to Rice’s probation violation. Part of that policy includes the “[i]llegal possession, use, or distribution of alcohol or drugs.”
As Florio points out, though, it’s up for interpretation whether a probation violation of testing positive for THC falls under the “illegal use of drugs” section.
Florio then provides both sides of the argument. On one hand, Rice didn’t commit a new violation; rather, he did something he was told not to do during his five years of probation, which Florio mentions is a common provision in probation arrangements. That said, Florio added that the use of marijuana “triggered an incarceration.”
Florio continues with the Person Conduct Policy, using rather broad language that prohibits “conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL personnel.”
On that note, Florio said, “It would be a reach, in our view, to dub a basic probation violation based on a positive THC test as conduct that undermines the integrity of the NFL.”
As with a Personal Conduct Policy violation, Judge Sue L. Robinson has the final say over the fact-finding portion. From there, the league could appeal the decision to Commissioner Roger Goodell, who ultimately has the final say.
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“The threshold question is whether the league wants to take action against Rice,” Florio wrote. “If it decides to do so, there are multiple potential avenues for doing so.”
The other avenue Florio mentions is the six-game suspension Rice received, which may include language regarding the consequences of a probation violation. However, Florio hasn’t seen the arrangement.
A third circumstance Florio mentions is the NFL’s Substance Abuse Policy, which applies to violations of the law regarding “substances of abuse,” and that does include marijuana. This would allow Goodell to suspend Rice for up to four games. The policy doesn’t include language regarding a “violation of law arising from a probation violation.”
Missing 30 days due to incarceration, Rice will miss the mandatory minicamp and could be fined upward of $100,000. Also, Rice underwent knee surgery, and during this time, he will be unable to access the team’s specialized medical staff for his rehabilitation.
Last season, Rice played in eight games and finished 16th in PFSN’s WR Impact Metric with an impact score of 82.0.
