What happened
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice filed for bankruptcy in federal court on Wednesday, listing more than $3.45 million in debts, according to federal court records.
Rice, 26, filed in the Northern District of Texas bankruptcy court. More than $2.1 million of the debts are tied to civil lawsuits that have either been settled or are still awaiting trial.
The lawsuits stem from two separate matters. Rice has been sued by multiple people over his role in a high-speed multicar crash in Dallas in 2024, and an ex-girlfriend has alleged he repeatedly assaulted her from 2023 to 2025.
In the filing, Rice listed $677,054 in personal assets, including $421,825 in deferred compensation. He reported $13,640 in his checking accounts, said he rents his home, and said he owns no property.
Why it matters
The filing lays bare how quickly the legal fallout from the 2024 crash has piled up for a player still early in his NFL career. The largest single debt is $979,837 still owed under a 2025 civil settlement tied to the crash.
Rice is also disputing other potential debts, including a combined $700,000 in lawsuits filed by victims of the 2024 crash and $200,000 connected to the alleged assault suit. How those cases resolve will shape much of what he ultimately owes.
One detail stands out: Rice used his Super Bowl LVIII championship ring, which he valued at $160,000, as collateral with Thomas McMurray, his attorney in the pending civil cases.
Rice filed under Chapter 7, the form of bankruptcy for people who cannot pay their debts and agree to let nonexempt property be used to pay creditors. He listed $39,241 of his assets as nonexempt.
What happens next
The bankruptcy case will now move through the Northern District of Texas, where a court will sort out which debts Rice must pay and which can be discharged. The civil cases tied to the crash and the assault allegations will continue on their own tracks, and their outcomes will shape what Rice ultimately owes.
On the field, Rice is in the final year of his rookie contract with the [Chiefs](/article/chiefs-sign-justin-tucker-practice-squad) and is set to earn $1,560,711 in base salary in 2026. He has played five games this season, catching 20 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns. His bankruptcy attorney, David Shuster, and the Chiefs had no comment on the filing. McMurray did not immediately respond to ESPN's request for comment.
Rice's case is the latest off-field legal matter to hit the NFL this season, a year in which teams have also been busy reshaping rosters — the [Ravens are close to trading for Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett](/article/ravens-near-trade-cardinals-jacoby-brissett) as injuries pile up.
