.jpg)
1 hour ago
3
The Kansas City Chiefs have looked like a team that misses its top wide receiver.
Through two games — both losses — the Chiefs have seen Xavier Worthy go down with an injury, Travis Kelce drop multiple key passes the would typically secure, and Patrick Mahomes (123 rushing yards) have to carry an unusually heavy load in the ground game.
The absence of Rashee Rice, who had 938 receiving yards as a rookie then 288 in four games last year, has been painfully apparent.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
So much so, that some Chiefs players took the field in Week 2 wearing shirts that called for Rice to be "freed" by the league and make his return to action — which was met with backlash from some fans and media due to the background of the receiver's suspension.
Here's what to know about the Chiefs' "Free 4" t-shirts that caused some controversy in Week 2.
MORE: Every detail to know about Travis Kelce's engagement to Taylor Swift
What are the Chiefs' 'Free 4' t-shirts?
Kansas City began the 2025 season without arguably its top pass-catcher, Rice, who missed most of last season with a knee injury. He was the team's second-round pick in 2023, and as a rookie that year, Rice totaled 79 catches for 938 yards and seven touchdowns.
Mahomes has long been known for making something out of nothing with his weapons, but the Chiefs' receiving corps already looked depleted in Week 1. Worthy, a second-year speedster, was knocked out of the game with an injury, while Kelce, 35, managed 47 yards and a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers—but he’s no longer the elite threat he once was.
That left Hollywood Brown, Tyquan Thornton, and Juju Smith-Schuster as Mahomes’ top wide receivers. With those ongoing receiver issues, some Chiefs players responded in an unusual way before their Week 2 game.
Kelce and Thornton were seen before the Week 2 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles wearing shirts that read “Free 4,” including some photos of Rashee Rice in uniform.
#Chiefs Tyquan Thornton wearing a “Free 4” shirt #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/d9b1Mkoa3i
— Matt Foster (@MattFosterTV) September 14, 2025Multiple Chiefs players, including Travis Kelce, wore shirts on Sunday saying to "free" Rashee Rice.
Rice is suspended for six games after he pleaded guilty to two felony charges related to a car crash in July that left several injured. pic.twitter.com/0cYuDc4Vux
The NFL suspended Rice for six games at the start of the season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Kelce and Thornton have not been asked about the "Free 4" shirts since then. However, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid did acknowledge the players' shirt decision in the days following Week 2.
"I've seen it since, I didn't see it then. I would tell you, I know these guys love Rashee and they feel for him sitting out," Reid said. "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."
Andy Reid responds to the "Free 4" shirts worn by Chiefs players during pregame warmups.#Chiefs l #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/95c0Wz8WM1
— Sports Radio 810 WHB (@SportsRadio810) September 15, 2025MORE: The latest injury updates on Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy
Chiefs 'Free 4' t-shirts controversy
Kelce, Thornton and the Chiefs faced some backlash due to their "Free 4" shirts, primarily because of the nature of Rice's suspension. He was given a six-game suspension by the NFL in connection to his involvement in a multi-car Dallas wreck that left several people hurt in March 2024.
Marc Lenahan, the lawyer for one of the victims in Rice's car crash, Kathryn Kuykendall, recently spoke to TMZ about the "Free 4" shirts. Kuykendall settled a civil lawsuit against Rice over the summer, with Rice agreeing to pay her $1 million plus interest and attorney's fees totaling nearly $100,000.
However, Lenahan said Rice has yet to pay any of that $1 million.
"Free Rashee? He already thinks he's getting away scot-free. He's not paid a single cent of the $1.1m Judgment he already owes our client, who is living anything but pain-free," Lenahan told TMZ. "Talk & t-shirts are cheap."
"If Kelce and Thornton truly believed in Rashee, they'd loan him the money to pay his victims. 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!'"
In the time after Kelce and Thornton wore the shirts, fans and writers on social media also criticized the two players.
One NFL writer, Matt Verderame, wrote that the shirts were "a stupefying lack of judgement" and he "can't believe the players thought this was a good idea." Another viral tweet with over seven million impressions called it "bizarre behavior from a team," noting the context of Rice's speeding during the March 2024 incident before fleeing the scene.
Kelce, Thornton and the Chiefs organization have not commented on the "Free 4" shirts, with Andy Reid's response the only further context provided to this point.
MORE: When was the Chiefs' last 0-2 start to a season?
Rashee Rice suspension
Rice was suspended six games by the NFL for violating the league's personal conduct policy, in connection to his role in a high-speed car crash that occurred in late March 2024.
Rice was identified as the driver of a Lamborghini Urus that caused a six-car accident in Dallas on March 30, 2024. He was driving 119 mph. Four other vehicles were damaged in the accident, including a Corvette that Rice was leasing. Nobody was killed in the accident, though several people were injured.
Dashcam footage was later released from the incident, which showed occupants of the vehicles leaving the scene on foot. On April 10, 2024, police issued an arrest warrant for Rice. They announced that he had been charged with one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury, and six counts of collision involving injuries.
Rice pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges. In July 2025, he was sentenced to five years of probation and 30 days in jail.
The NFL's suspension followed; the Chiefs wide receiver was ruled to be suspended for the first six games of the 2025 season.
When will Rashee Rice return?
Rice is eligible for reinstatement from his suspension in Week 7, when the Chiefs host the Raiders on Sunday, Oct. 19.
Here is a look at Kansas City's first seven games of the season:
| Week | Date | Opponent |
| 1 | Sept. 5 | at Chargers (in Brazil) |
| 2 | Sept. 14 | vs. Eagles |
| 3 | Sept. 21 | at Giants |
| 4 | Sept. 28 | vs. Ravens |
| 5 | Oct. 6 | at Jaguars |
| 6 | Oct. 12 | vs. Chiefs |
| 7 | Oct. 19 | vs. Raiders |
English (US)