People Slam Travis Kelce After He Doubled Down on Support For Teammate Rashee Rice
After completing his six-game suspension, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice will get back on the field on Sunday, much to Travis Kelce’s delight. Rice received his suspension after his involvement in a high-speed hit-and-run crash that injured several people. Kelce’s continued support of his teammate has resulted in criticism.
Travis Kelce spoke about his excitement for Rashee Rice’s suspension ending
Kelce is eagerly anticipating Rice’s return to the NFL. He spoke about how much he likes and respects the wide receiver.
“I’m just happy to get my guy back out there,” Kelce said on his New Heights podcast (per The Kansas City Star). “He could put this s*** in the f***ing past. Rashee is such a good dude. When all this happened, I gave him a shout and let him know, ‘Man, listen, we know who you are as a person. Don’t let the world drag you through and make you feel like you’re any less of that.’”
He said he considers Rice one of his favorite teammates.
“And he’s one of my favorite people and one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever had in the building, because of how he attacks the day, how he lives his life, his generosity and his work ethic and how much fun he has playing this game,” he said, adding, “And I’m excited for him to get back to what he loves to do the most. And that’s play football.”
He believes that Chiefs fans will see a “ferocious” version of Rice get back on the field.
People have criticized Travis Kelce for supporting Rashee Rice
Kelce’s support of Rice has not gone over well with some people. They don’t think Kelce should be defending his teammate’s actions.
“Reads as: My friend treats me okay, so who cares what they do to anyone else?” wrote one Reddit user.
“It’s not even like there’s any doubt it was him. Rice pleaded guilty,” wrote another person. But it’s too far to have some concern or even sympathy for the crash victims.”
Many people noted that Kelce shouldn’t have spoken so openly about his support for Rice, given the injuries the crash inflicted on multiple people.
“I can almost understand this if he was asked by the media and didn’t want to say anything negative about a teammate during the season,” added another person. “But the amount of content you have to create for your podcast means you’re gonna talk about absolutely everything that’s going on, I guess. What an idiot.”
He faced criticism earlier in the season
Earlier in the season, Kelce faced a similar wave of criticism after he wore a shirt that said “Free 4.” Rice’s number is four.
The lawyer for one of the victims even spoke out against the shirts.
“Rashee isn’t Nelson Mandela or Pepe Mujica, men who fought for what they believed in,” Marc Lenahan, who represents Kathryn Kuykendall, told TMZ Sports. “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. Free Rashee? He already thinks he’s getting away scot-free. 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.”
