Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes Deliver First Comments on Rashee Rice Situation

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid discussed wide receiver Rashee Rice and the ongoing legal situation related to Rice's involvement in a multi-vehicle crash.

Feb 8, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke to members of the media on Monday and officially addressed wide receiver Rashee Rice's offseason for the first time. Rice was involved in starting a multi-vehicle crash in Dallas in late March and now faces eight felony charges. Rice turned himself in to police and posted $40,000 bond after having a warrant issued for his arrest.

Reid addressed Rice's situation during his opening comments before beginning to take questions.

"As far as Rashee Rice goes, his situation, I'm leaving that like we've done most of these, just for the law enforcement part of it to take place and then we'll go from there with that," Reid said. "I have had an opportunity to talk to Rashee, and I'm not going to obviously get into that, but that part, that part has been gone through."

Later in the press availability, Reid was asked about Rice's current status with the team as they begin their offseason program.

"Yeah, so, there's no real participation other than by Zoom, so he'll participate in that," Reid said. "But other than that, we don't have anything going on here [at the facilities in Kansas City] that he would be involved with. So, to answer your question, he's participating on Zoom. And again, just a reminder on this, it's voluntary, so as we go forward, that's also another part of it."

Also speaking on Monday, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said he has worked with Rice throughout the offseason as he hosts workouts for many of the Chiefs' pass-catchers in Texas.

“I’m sure we’ll continue that work as the legal process plays out,” Mahomes said.

Asked if Rice would participate in-person when the team returns to Kansas City, Reid said the team is "just going to take it day-by-day here as we go." Asked about how the team will decide what that process looks like regarding Rice's potential future involvement, Reid reiterated that the organization will wait for the legal process to play out.

"Yeah, we'll just see how it goes," Reid said. "I want to keep gathering the information from the law enforcement people and we'll just see where everything goes from there. Let the process take place."

Lastly, Reid was asked about how he and the organization view Rice now and if they still trust Rice and his decision-making going forward.

"Well, yeah, listen, as long as he's learned from it, that's the important part of it," Reid said. "We'll take it from there and see what takes place, but right now we're just kind of gathering everything and trying to make sure we have all the bases covered."

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