KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The NFL introduced Friday that it concluded its personal investigation into Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice, stating that he “has not engaged in conduct that violates the private conduct coverage.” The NFL additionally stated its investigation into the accusations from Dacoda Jones, Rice’s former girlfriend, is closed.
Presently, Rice, 25, will not be going to be disciplined by the league, which decided that “there was inadequate proof to help a discovering that he violated the private conduct coverage.”
“Mr. Rice needs to thank the NFL for his or her thorough investigation, and appears ahead to the beginning of the 2026-27 NFL season,” Sean Lindsey, Rice’s lawyer, stated in an announcement.
The Chiefs had no touch upon the NFL’s choice Friday.
In early January, Jones posted images on her Instagram account that present bruises and wounds on a number of elements of her physique, alleging abuse for quite a few years. Jones did not title Rice or anybody else within the submit, however she says that the one that abused her is the daddy of her youngsters. Jones has two youngsters with Rice.
Within the since-deleted Instagram submit, Jones wrote: “I am so bored with holding quiet. I am so bored with defending his picture. I have been by means of an excessive amount of in a span of 8 years and I’ve had ENOUGH!” She stated she and Rice broke up in 2025 “and since then it has been nothing however hell.”
Jones additionally filed a lawsuit in Texas in February, alleging Rice repeatedly assaulted her throughout an 18-month span from 2023 to 2025. She stated she was pregnant throughout most of the alleged assaults. She is searching for greater than $1 million. Jones additionally alleges that Rice strangled her in December 2023.
“Rice has grabbed, choked, strangled, pushed, thrown, scratched, hit, and headbutted Ms. Jones, in addition to hit her with inanimate objects,” the lawsuit says.
In response to the lawsuit, Lindsey launched an announcement: “On October ninth, 2025, effectively after the events’ relationship had ended, Ms. Jones said below penalty of perjury in a sworn Affidavit for Non-Prosecution that ‘Mr. Rice and I had a verbal argument, however he didn’t punch me.’ We are going to permit the authorized course of to run its course.”
Following Jones’ claims, the NFL performed its investigation.
In March 2024, Rice was the motive force of a Lamborghini Urus SUV that was going 119 mph on Dallas’ North Central Expressway, resulting in the multicar crash that left a number of folks injured. Theodore Knox, certainly one of Rice’s teammates at SMU, was the motive force of a black Corvette. Rice, Knox and their three pals did not verify on these injured, as a substitute fleeing on foot earlier than police arrived. The incident was captured on video, too.
Lower than two weeks later, Rice took full accountability and apologized in an announcement he launched earlier than he turned himself in on the Glenn Heights Police Division after an arrest warrant was issued. In July, Rice was sentenced to 30 days in jail and 5 years of probation for his position within the crash. He pleaded responsible in district court docket to 2 third-degree felony expenses — collision involving critical bodily damage and racing on a freeway inflicting bodily damage. He acquired deferred adjudication. The case shall be dismissed if he completes the probation.
The incident led to the NFL suspending Rice six video games final season for violating the league’s private conduct coverage.
In August 2025, Knox pleaded responsible to collision involving critical bodily damage and racing on a freeway inflicting bodily damage and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and 5 years of probation. Final month, a Texas court docket issued a default judgment of greater than $2.8 million in opposition to Knox. Rice’s case is scheduled to go to trial June 9.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter contributed to this report.
