Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is still facing a potential NFL suspension following the outcome of legal matters stemming from the Dallas car crash incident that occurred on March 30, 2024, and there was an update on his upcoming court date.

“I know this can be confusing, but court records do not indicate Chiefs WR Rashee Rice has a criminal date set for his Dallas car crash incident,” Kansas City Star reporter and Chiefs media member Jesse Newell relayed on July 3.

Continuing: “Other reports today have cited a Jan. 20 jury trial. According to online documents, that date is related to a civil suit against him. The resolution of Rice’s criminal matter is what the NFL is waiting for to determine a potential suspension.”

This Rice update is very key for multiple reasons. One, per Newell and KCTV 5, Rice’s next court date is scheduled for January 20, 2026.

That date would line up somewhere during the NFL playoffs. Although that could potentially cause a distraction for the Chiefs’ star wide receiver during a postseason run, assuming KC continues their streak of making the playoffs, the timing of this date is important for a different reason.

If the NFL holds steady on its stance that it will wait for the legal process to unfold before deciding on a suspension, then presumably, Rice will not be suspended in 2025 based on January 20 of next year being his next scheduled court date.

Secondly, Newell made sure to emphasize that the January 20 court date is for a civil suit. This is not a criminal court date.

To reiterate, according to Newell, “court records do not indicate Chiefs WR Rashee Rice has a criminal date set for his Dallas car crash incident.”

Meaning, if the NFL is awaiting the outcome of a criminal court date specifically, the suspension timeline could stretch well into 2026. In theory, a suspension could also never occur, let’s say this matter is resolved in civil court.

It’s unclear if the NFL would still pursue a suspension based on the outcome of the civil suit alone.