Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is back at training camp following a 30-day prison sentence during the offseason.
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When speaking with reporters at Chiefs practice on Tuesday (August 11), he called his short stint in prison a "learning experience."
"It was a learning experience and a reality check," Rice said Tuesday via ESPN. "Don't focus on the past. Focus on what's going on now. I'm doing [well] mentally.
Rice Says Prison Stint Was 'Mentally Tough'
The Chiefs star pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges. Related to a high-speed, multi-car street racing crash in Dallas in March 2024. He was initially sentenced to 5 years of probation. In additon to paying over $115,000 in restitution, and 30 days in jail (to be served at a flexible time). Rice violated the terms of his probation when a May 2026 drug test showed that he had THC (marijuana) in his system. He was immediately ordered to serve the 30-day sentence and was released in mid-June.
Rice says that the short stint behind bars was "mentally tough." But he was still able to keep in touch with his teammates and watch his favorite television shows, which helped keep his "mind right."
"It was mentally tough. They gave me ways to communicate with my teammates still, as well as my athletic trainer," he added. "Besides the hard times in there, I kept my mind right watching shows and as much [of comedian] Kevin Hart as I could to laugh."
To make a bad situation worse, Rice was weeks removed from having a cleanup procedure on his knee when he was ordered to prison. And going to prison while simultaneously going through rehab on the knee made his recovery that much more difficult.
"I was in there early in the morning until it was time for me to go," he said. "I would stretch it, do some activation on it, and then hit the weight room and jog, just condition and get the muscle fatigue going as well as my stamina."
But Rice is ready to put all of that behind him now. And looking forward to the upcoming season.
"I'm 100% locked in on what's going on now with the team," Rice added. "I'm ready to go out there and dominate. I've got a good group of brothers behind me."
