The NFL initially proposed a suspension of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice for double-digit games, which is the basis of the league and NFL Players Association being unable to agree on the length of the penalty and setting a Sept. 30 disciplinary hearing, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Friday.
There is still the possibility of an agreement on suspension length being reached prior to the start of Kansas City's season on Sept. 5, which would result in Rice missing games to begin the year rather than at a later point, Pelissero added.
Per Pelissero, the lack of precedence for suspending a player for more than half of the season in a situation such as this is the reason behind the NFLPA and Rice's representation pushing back.
Rice, 25, is facing discipline under the league's personal conduct policy after he was sentenced to 30 days in jail in July following authorities saying he and another driver traveling at high speeds caused a chain-reaction crash that involved multiple vehicles and caused multiple injuries March 30, 2024, on a Dallas highway.
Should the hearing take place as scheduled, it will be overseen by disciplinary officer Judge Sue L. Robinson, who previously ruled on Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson's suspension in 2022.
A 2023 NFL Draft second-round pick of the Chiefs, Rice is heading into his third season. He played in four games last year before he suffered a season-ending knee injury.