For over half a decade now, everything about the Kansas City Chiefs screams “gold standard.” But last year, ahead of their Week 2 Super Bowl LIX rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles, the likes of Travis Kelce and Tyquan Thornton wearing ‘Free 4’ t-shirts to support their teammate Rashee Rice represented anything but that.

Then, the wide receiver was suspended for six weeks by the league after he pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges in a multiple-vehicle collision from 2024. Whether that support was because they wanted to stand for Rice or for their team that continued their losing streak isn’t yet known. But everyone thrashed them then, and a former Chiefs player is continuing to do so now as Rice spends a month behind bars.

“It’s too bad OTAs are ending a week early, otherwise the guys could’ve broken out the “Free 4” t-shirts during practice on June 16th!! Now that he’s, ya know, actually in jail for the bad things he did. What a missed opportunity 🙁,” former Chiefs OT Mitchell Schwartz wrote on X mocking Rice’s teammates.

Not many were happy seeing Kelce, Thornton, and others ignore what Rice had done. Even the attorney, Marc Lenahan, representing the plaintiff, Kathryn Kuykendall, had choice words for them in a statement to TMZ last year.

“Rashee isn’t Nelson Mandela or Pepe Mujica, men who fought for what they believed in,” Lenahan said. “There is evidence that Rashee was going 119 mph in a $1,749 per day Lambo rental that had pot and a pistol in it, on a highway on Easter weekend.

“Free Rashee? He already thinks he’s getting away scot-free. He’s not paid a single cent of the $1.1 million judgment he already owes our client, who is living anything but pain-free.”

Schwartz’s comments about Kelce and his teammates came against the backdrop of Rice’s recent jail time notice, dating back to an incident from March 2024.

Here is the entire timeline:

• March 2024: Rice crashed a rented Lamborghini Urus on the North Central Expressway in Dallas alongside a Chevrolet Corvette, which was driven by his SMU teammate. The crash injured multiple people, and Rice, with his friends, fled the scene without checking on the injured people.
• July 2025: Rice pleaded guilty to two third-degree felonies. They were one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and one count of racing on a highway causing bodily injury.
  A Dallas County Judge sentenced Rice to five years of probation, 30 days in jail, and ordered him to pay $115,481.91 to the victims for out-of-pocket medical expenses.
• August 2025: The NFL announced a six-week suspension for Rice to start the 2025 season.
• May 20, 2026: Rice violated his probation after testing positive for marijuana. He was sentenced to spend 30 days in jail, which was already part of his initial settlement.

While the fans were upset, the Chiefs continued to show some degree of support to Rice. And even after the ‘Free 4’ t-shirt incident, head coach Andy Reid defended the players involved.

“I would tell you I know these guys love Rashee, and they feel for him sitting out here, and I think it’s no more than that. I just think that those guys, they love the kid and want him to feel part of it in their own way. I really don’t think it’s anything more than that,” Reid said.

Still, despite the public support from teammates and coaches, Rice eventually served his six-game suspension before returning in Week 7. Since then, however, the legal troubles surrounding the fourth-year receiver have not slowed down. If anything, they have only escalated.

Rashee Rice violated his probation after pleading guilty

Just days before the Chiefs were scheduled to begin OTAs this month, wide receiver Rashee Rice was sentenced to serve 30 days in jail. The situation escalated after Rice tested positive for marijuana, violating the terms of his probation connected to his role in the March 2024 car crash.

Since Rice was already expected to serve 30 days at some point during his probation period, the Texas State Attorney’s Office confirmed Tuesday that he was ordered to report to jail immediately, according to ESPN.

“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 Dallas County DA’s office said in a statement this week.

Rice was officially booked into Dallas County jail at 1:25 p.m. ET, according to jail records, and is expected to be released on June 16. It’s worth noting that just one week before being sentenced to a 30-day prison sentence, Rice underwent a clean-up surgery, according to ESPN. His recovery timeline was set anywhere between four to six weeks.

He will certainly take some time to recover from that as well, and coming in after all the legal troubles, there will be doubts about whether he can be at his best.

The wide receiver room was a looming question mark for the Chiefs anyway. Rice, for one, continues to be the most unstable piece on the roster. That’s the reason why many have connected the team to the former New England Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs. Still, the gamble remains the same whichever way the team chooses to go.