How Rashee Rice’s legal situation could unfold during 2024 season | Pro Football Talk | NFL on NBC

couple of news items that relate to the Chiefs and who will and won't be available tonight Rashi rice the receiver they love who picked up the offense faster than Tyreek Hill had nearly a thousand yards last year stepped up in the postseason it's one of the reasons why they've tolerated some of the things that he gets into when he goes to Dallas and we've seen this story time and again guy goes back to where his friends are and their bad influences and he changes when he around hey you're awesome you're you got money oh my gosh you got a car what are we going to do tonight let's go see this group let's have fun and you get you get trapped a little bit and that became a horrific street racing incident that is well documented we've seen the video on this program more than 10 times I still can't believe no one was killed and he's facing eight felony charges and when the NFL started with the commissioner exempt list the fancy name for paid leave back in 2014 it was the Ray Rice Greg Hardy adri and Peterson stuff that all happened the NFL decided screw innocent until proven guilty there are going to be situations where a guy is facing charges even if he has never been tried even if he has never been convicted we are going to tell him you stay home we'll pay you it's not punishment in the NFL's opinion which I think is ludicrous because it is punishment some guys get cut when they get put on paid leave because team doesn't want to pay him to not play of course and for any football player that has any real accomplishments chasing history trying to win championships trying to make it to the hall of fame whatever the case may be you want to play guys want to play football it's one of the reasons why work stoppages never pan out yeah they don't want to lose their game checks they also want to play football so the NFL has used paid leave from time to time and with Rashid rice I just assume there's no way he's going to be here week one yeah I hear you he's either going to plead guilty and be suspended without pay under the personal conduct policy or they're going to put him on paid LEF he's got eight felony charges arising from this incident that could have gotten somebody killed how was he not on paid leave the difference is the way it's played out domestic violence cases that's where the NFL is quicker to use paid leave right for a situation like this even with injuries no one was killed but there were injuries yeah and the video that's where I thought maybe that would be the the final nail in the coffin there and Shireen Williams and I talked about this last week do you penalize the outcome and you penalize the behavior I think you penalize the behavior because you want to discourage the behavior because once you engage in the behavior it's literally Russian Roulette at that point you don't want that kind of Reckless conduct because sometimes it get somebody killed like Henry rugs three years ago sometimes it doesn't let's deter that behavior that's not the NFL's position at least not so far they're not going to use paid leave barring a material change in the case and I think the way this is going to play out rice people are going to try to Kick the Can through the season yeah seems that way plead guilty after the season right and then have the eventual suspension without pay kick in a year from now when we may be sitting right here having the same conversation about the cand City Chiefs very real and I'll be go can we get in the big Lobby the concern is I if the Chiefs win it again I will move Heaven and Earth to get us to the big Lobby next year get ready all right the concern is if he' plead guilty during season that would be the kind of material change that would put him on paid Le got so get it through the season I'm trying to find out when there's a trial date I heard something yesterday about December but we know how these trial dates are there's a trial date and then all of a sudden there's another one five months later and then there's another one I think they're going to successfully push this through the season plead guilty out because I don't know how you I don't know what your defense is there's factual guilt and legal guilt the factual guilt we've seen we just watched it again there's no getting away from this he's going to have to accept responsibility he already kind of has the question is what charges do you plead guilty to which ones do they drop what's the recommended sentence etc etc I just think that at this point they want to get through the season they want to try to get the three Pat of course if he's going to be suspended let's do it next year and I'm not saying it's right or wrong I'm just trying to discern what the strategy is the strategy is here let's get him on the field all season long and whatever medicine he has to take he takes it next year it listen it's big it's big it's big because one it's the Chiefs and we know they're good and he's really good and not just really good like I think I think this is the year you see the passing of the Baton right if you made me make like a a proclamation about the Kansas City Chiefs I think this will be the first year we've seen in the momes era right where the number one Target on the football team will not be Tyreek or Kelce right Tyreek it's going I think it will be Rashid rice and that's where I think it is a big deal they drafted Xavier worthy he's got speed we know that is he ready to be a 100 catch we can depend on him every game all game for 10 to 12 targets no I don't think he's going to be that I think he's going to be you know take the top off the defense Gadget guy go deep do all that type of stuff Hollywood Brown we know he's hurt that thinks he doesn't get to play tonight but he's a similar guy that way too I think Rashi rice is going to be the meat and potatoes of the offense you'll see those two going downfield you'll see Rashi Rice go downfield at times too but I think really what you'll see is almost a role of I don't want to say Travis Kelce but I think you're going to see him over the middle intermediate routes a whole lot and anytime there's a big third and seven or anything like that where hey Travis Kelce might have been the main target the last two years who we draw up the play for I think Rashi rice is going to get his fair share of that this year and that's where it's big for them and especially with no Hollywood Brown tonight if they didn't have Rashid to go Rashid rice to go along with that I'd be worried about them with the Baltimore Ravens defense and that Talent over there with lack of weapons but he's playing and they should be damn good on them hi it's Mike Florio thanks for watching PFT on YouTube hit subscribe for the latest news and Analysis from pro football talk