One of the most frequent criticisms lobbied against professional sports teams is that they’ll often ignore — or at least be incredibly soft on — star players who get in trouble.
If the player can produce enough, they’re seemingly worth the headache.
That’s a criticism that has hounded the Kansas City Chiefs with respect to how it handled talented — but troubled — wide receiver Rashee Rice.
And that criticism is likely to get much louder in the wake of a disturbing Instagram post accusing him of heinous abuse.
You can see a screen shot of the relevant post below:
WARNING: The following post contains imagery that some viewers will find disturbing
Cut Rashee Rice pic.twitter.com/GH3Rsh7FhZ
— Elliot (@Elliot_Dennis) January 7, 2026
According to Heavy Sports, a woman identified as Rice’s ex-girlfriend, Dacoda Nichole, has accused Rice of years-long abuse. Alongside her claims, she posted images of a busted lip.
“I’m so tired of keeping quiet,” Nichole posted. “I’m so tired of protecting his image. I’ve been through too much in a span of 8 years and I’ve had ENOUGH!
“I’ve dealt with abuse for years, me and this man decided to break up a couple months ago and since then it’s been nothing but hell. He’s very controlling there’s been times he’s came to my new home broken my door, there’s been times when he would put his hands on me while I was pregnant even had the audacity lock me outside all night in ten degree weather because he got caught cheating.
“He’s cut up all my shoes and clothes leaving me with nothing because he’s gotten caught up. And there’s multiple instances of cheating but besides that I’m just tired of him not doing right by my boys. It’s not fair he doesn’t call them. He rather be layed up with hoes.”
Nichole ended her post with: “I’ve protected his image too long and I’m done doing that. It’s time to protect my peace, protect my children and stand up for myself.”
These disturbing allegations come less than two years after another major issue involving Rice.
As the NFL itself reported back in July 2025, Rice was sentenced to 30 days in jail stemming from a high-speed crash that injured multiple people on a Dallas-area highway the previous year.
Authorities said Rice and another driver were racing sports cars on March 30, 2024, triggering a chain-reaction collision involving several vehicles.
According to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, Rice pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges: collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury. The judge allowed the 25-year-old to arrange when he would serve the jail time, rather than ordering immediate incarceration.
Prosecutors said Rice was driving a Lamborghini Urus at speeds reaching 119 mph while making aggressive maneuvers through traffic before striking other vehicles. After the crash, authorities said Rice fled the scene without checking on the injured victims.
As part of his sentence, he was ordered to pay roughly $115,000 in restitution to cover the victims’ out-of-pocket medical expenses.
“Last March, I was involved in a high-speed accident in Dallas,” Rice said in a statement released by his attorney at the time. “There have been a lot of sleepless nights thinking about the damages that my actions caused, and I will continue working within my means to make sure that everyone impacted will be made whole. I urge everyone to mind the speed limit, drive safe and drive smart. Last and certainly not least, I am profoundly sorry for the physical damages to person and property. I fully apologize for the harm I caused to innocent drivers and their families.”
Despite all this, Rice still played this past NFL season for the 6-11 Chiefs, notching 571 yards and 5 touchdowns in eight games played after serving a brief suspension and returning in mid-October.
Rice, largely viewed as the Chiefs’ top receiving threat with star tight end Travis Kelce slowing down, and the team faced a torrent of criticism for allowing him to play after the Dallas debacle.
And those criticisms don’t seem like they’re going away.
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