Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice has endured a troubling offseason, but one portion of those troubles is coming to an end.
Rice faced a police investigation after allegedly assaulting a photographer outside of a nightclub. The photographer wants the charges to be dropped and has characterized the incident as a "misunderstanding," NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday.
The assault charges came just a month after Rice turned himself in on eight felony charges stemming from a hit-and-run crash in Dallas. The 24-year-old may still face consequences as a result of the crash, which occurred in late March, and the Chiefs remain braced for a potential suspension of Rice.
Here are the details of the assault investigation into Rice.
MORE: Could the Chiefs cut Rashee Rice amid hit-and-run charges?
Rashee Rice assault investigation
Rice was under investigation for allegedly assaulting a photographer at a Dallas nightclub, Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA reported on May 7. The incident occurred on May 6 at the Lit Kitchen club.
Few details were reported at the time of the incident. And two weeks later, the photographer is seeking to drop the charges against Rice, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
"[The photographer] gave an affidavit to the Dallas Police Department saying it was a misunderstanding, wants the charges dropped," Pelissero said on NFL Network.
That likely will bring to a close Rice's second run-in with the Dallas law this spring. Still, the second-year Chiefs wide receiver is already facing eight charges stemming from a hit-and-run crash in late March — six counts of collision involving bodily injury as well as one count of aggravated assault and one count of collision involving serious bodily injury.
Rice was born in Philadelphia but went to high school in the Dallas area and stayed in the region for his college football career at SMU.
MORE: Chiefs' Rashee Rice to attend OTAs despite off-field incidents
Will Rashee Rice be suspended?
Rice could face a suspension under the NFL's personal conduct policy as a result of March's hit-and-run crash.
"You still have the things related to the auto incident that is going to have to play out here for Rashee Rice and then on top of that NFL discipline," Pelissero said on May 21. "But at least for now ... he’s back with the Chiefs."
The Chiefs have prepared themselves well if Rice faces a lengthy suspension. Kansas City added to a thin wide receiving corps by signing Marquise Brown to a one-year deal in free agency, and the Chiefs filled out the room by selecting Texas speedster Xavier Worthy with their first-round pick in April's draft.
Rice would still be an integral part of Kansas City's offense when on the field. He came on strong late in his rookie season as one of the few pass-catchers Patrick Mahomes seemed to fully trust, and he also has a bit of a different skillset than Brown and Worthy, who both have smaller frames and rely on their speed. Rice has a larger frame and didn't look one-dimensional at all in 2023.
The Chiefs have Mahomes, which puts them in a strong position regardless of who's catching the ball. Still, Rice's availability could be significantly impacted if he faces additional charges in this separate case.
MORE: Breaking down the details of Rashee Rice's hit-and-run case
Rashee Rice stats
| Season | Games | Rec | Yards | TD | Y/R |
| 2023 | 16 | 79 | 938 | 7 | 11.9 |
Rice racked up 938 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie, finishing second among rookies in receiving yards behind only Rams record-setter Puka Nacua.
The SMU product became more trusted by Mahomes as the season went on, hauling in at least six catches in five of his last six regular season games. Rice earned double-digit targets in three of his final six games and remained a major part of the Chiefs' offense in the playoffs with 262 yards and a touchdown over four games.
