Rashee Rice Turned Himself in and is Now Facing 8 Criminal Charges for That Car Crash

Remember during the final game in Slap Shot when Jim Carr is introducing the Syracuse Bulldogs one at a time, and listing all their career offenses and he says, "Oh this young man has had a very trying rookie season. With the litigation, the notoriety, his subsequent deportation to Canada and that country's refusal to accept him. Well, I guess that's more than most 21-year-olds can handle... Ogie Ogilthorpe!"? 

Well that seems as good a jumping off point as any to the latest update in the Rashee Rice situation. Because this young man has had a very trying rookie season as well. With the 900 yards and seven touchdowns as Patrick Mahomes top wide receiver, the Super Bowl win, the parade and celebrations, the multi-vehicle pile up while street racing on a Dallas highway and his subsequent leaving the scene:

I guess that's more than most 23-year-olds can handle. 

But Rice, somewhat to his credit, I suppose, is handling it for now:

Source - A spokeswoman for Rice's attorney, Texas state Sen. Royce West, confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday evening that Rice turned himself in at the Glenn Heights Police Department. Rice was booked into the regional jail in DeSoto, and West said he was released on bond Thursday night.

In an emailed statement, West emphasized what he called Rice's "continued cooperation with law enforcement."

"Mr. Rice acknowledges his actions and feels deeply for those injured as a result of this accident," the lawyer said.

On Wednesday, Dallas police said arrest warrants had been issued for Rice, 23, for one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury.

West said previously that Rice was driving a Lamborghini sport utility vehicle when the crash happened March 30.

SMU wide receiver Teddy Knox, 21, was driving the other speeding sports car, a Corvette, police said. Arrest warrants were issued for Knox on the same range of counts as for Rice. Dallas police said Thursday night that Knox was not currently in custody.

SMU said earlier in the day that, after learning of the arrest warrants, Knox had been suspended from its football team. Knox's attorney, Deandra Grant, said her client was cooperating with law enforcement.

The last thing I want to do is come off sounding like I'm giving Rice too much credit for his "continued cooperation with law enforcement." After all, when they issue warrants for your arrest, your options become fairly limited. It's either turn yourself in to be booked, fingerprinted and mugshotted:

… wait for them to catch up with you, or go the fugitive route. And since he's hoping to continue a career playing for the back-to-back Super Bowl champions, his whereabouts will be very much known from July to about February, the choice was made pretty simple. 

Besides, he's now a made member of the Chiefs La Cosa Nostra, there's tons of incentives for all involved to have him face the music, take responsibility, and make this right the old fashioned way: Buying his way out of trouble. The same can't be said of SMU wide receiver Kenny Knox. I don't know what his draft prospects were prior to this. But after? His scouting reports will have more red flags than San Francisco when Xi Jinping visited. 

But still. Rice not only turned himself in, his lawyer is straight up admitting his client is responsible. Which is something, I suppose. At the very least they're choosing not to insult the intelligence of the public by disputing the facts in the case. And if you think that's not rare, let me enlighten you with a cautionary tale of another NFL former 2nd round pick on a great team who smashed up an expensive muscle car and fled the scene, but tried to lie his way out of it. 

Because with me, everything comes back to either 40 year old movies or the Patriots:

WCVB June, 2015 - Former New England Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes was cited by state police Friday for rear-ending another vehicle on a Massachusetts highway then leaving the scene.

Massachusetts State Police issued a citation charging  Spikes with several motor vehicle offenses after determining that Spikes was speeding and driving negligently when he crashed his 2011 Maybach sedan into the back of a sport utility vehicle on Route 495 northbound in Foxborough last Sunday.

The crash caused minor injuries to a Billerica man and woman and their 12-year-old son, the occupants of the 2009 Nissan Murano, who were all transported to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro. All were treated and released.

The attorney for the family called Spike's a "coward" and said he may sue. … "Its bad enough that he almost killed a family, then to run is nothing short of an act of cowardice in order to avoid responsibility for his action."

Spikes was released by the Patriots the day after the crash.

The driver of Spikes' Maybach had called an emergency assistance service claiming to have struck a deer.  Responding troopers found no evidence of a deer strike, but did find the family in the Nissan Murano.

Translation: The land rocket Spikes was driving was equipped with OnStar, which automatically calls for help when it detects a crash. With no time to think of an viable excuse, Spikes blurted out the first thing that popped into his head in a feeble attempt to weasel out of taking responsibility for sending a family to the hospital. Absent a dead deer but with three victim/eyewitnesses, he was stuck, caught in a lie, got sued, and never saw an NFL field again. 

So what is are the lessons to be learned from Rice and Spikes' stories? I suppose the first is that, while pro football does tend to attract testosterone-fueled, thrill-seeking adrenaline junkies with varying degrees of death wishes, you might want to think about slowing down and staying in control of your lethal murder mobiles.  

Second, if you don't want to consider the first, it might be wise to carry a plant deer carcass (with the serial number filed off) around in your trunk so you have a ready-made alibi once the inevitable crash occurs. 

Finally, perhaps the big takeaway here is that the NFL is no place for guys to be driving precision-engineered racing machines that cost as much as your average starter home. Football careers are short. Nothing is guaranteed. Not much of your contract, and unless you're one of a handful of true franchise players, 0.0% of your employment. The fact guys who can be out of football on a whim are driving Lamborghinis and Maybachs suggests they think they're going to be rich forever. But with very few exceptions around the league, they're all one "serious bodily injury" lawsuit away from poverty. And it's way past time the NFL and the NFLPA start wiseing them up to that fact. Thanks for listening to my TED Talk.