“Free Rashee? He already thinks he’s getting away scot-free,” Marc Lenahan, a lawyer for one of the victims who was injured in the crash, said in a statement.
DALLAS — Travis Kelce’s decision to wear a “Free 4” shirt in support of Rashee Rice amid his ongoing suspension by the NFL is drawing ire from the internet and the victims of the crash.
In July, Rice pleaded guilty to two felony charges in connection with a crash that injured several people in 2024 on U.S. 75 in Dallas. He received a sentence of five years of deferred probation and 30 days in prison for the crime. He also received a six-game suspension from the NFL, WFAA previously reported.
The shirts, which Kelce and fellow Chiefs player Tyquan Thornton wore ahead of Kansas City’s game against the Eagles on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, displayed pictures of Rice along with the phrase “Free 4.”
Marc Lenahan, who represents Kathryn Kuykendall, a woman who said she suffered multiple injuries in the crash, criticized Kelce and Thornton in a statement to WFAA.
“I respect that Kelce and Thornton support their teammate, but the ‘gym teacher’ needs to talk with the history teacher,” he wrote in reference to Taylor Swift’s engagement announcement. “Rashee isn’t Nelson Mandela or Pepe Mujica, men who fought for what they believed in. There is evidence that Rashee was going 119 mph in a $1,749 per day Lambo rental that had pot and a pistol in it, on a highway on Easter weekend.”
In April, Rice and Kuykendall reached an agreement on a $1.1 million civil settlement. But Lenahan said she hasn’t received any of that money.
“Free Rashee? He already thinks he’s getting away scot-free.” Lenahan said. “He’s not paid a single cent of the $1.1 million Judgment he already owes our client, who is living anything but pain-free.”
Prior to pleading guilty in the criminal case, Rice was also required to pay $115,481.91 to the victims of the crash for medical expenses.
In a statement issued by his attorney Royce West, Rice said he regretted his actions.
“Last March, I was involved in a high-speed accident in Dallas. 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,” the statement read. “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.”
In a radio interview after Sunday’s game, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said the shirts were not a statement opposing the NFL’s decision to suspend Rice.
“I would tell you, I know these guys love Rashee and they feel for him sitting out here,” Reid said. “And so I think it’s no more than that. I just think that those guys, they love the kid and want him to feel part of it in their own way. I really don’t think it’s anything more than that.”
Lenahan has another suggestion for how Kelce and Thornton can publicly support Rice.
“Talk & t-shirts are cheap. If Kelce and Thornton truly believed in Rashee, they’d loan him the money to pay his victim,” Lenahan said. “But since they won’t do that, maybe they can at least be better role models by wearing a t-shirt with an important public service warning: ‘Flee 4!'”
Social media also responded to the shirts after Sunday’s game.