SMU suspends football player accused in multivehicle hit-and-run involving Rashee Rice

A Southern Methodist University football player has been suspended from the team after the school learned he is one of two people facing charges in connection with a high-speed hit-and-run last month in Dallas, university officials confirmed Thursday.
Dallas police said Wednesday that SMU cornerback Theodore “Teddy” Knox and Kansas City Chiefs’ wide receiver Rashee Rice are suspected of being the drivers of two high-end sports cars that caused the March 30 collision. At least four people were injured and a half-dozen vehicles were damaged.
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Knox, 21, and Rice, 23, each face one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury, police said.
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“SMU takes these allegations seriously,” university officials said in a written statement sent to The Dallas Morning News, adding federal student privacy laws prevent the school from providing details involving student disciplinary proceedings.
Dallas-based attorney Deandra Grant confirmed to The Dallas Morning News on Thursday she is representing Knox.
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“We have cooperated fully with law enforcement,” Grant said via email. “Other than that we have no further comment at this time.”
As of 7 p.m. Thursday, Knox and Rice were not yet in custody, police said.
Kristin Lowman, a Dallas police spokeswoman, has said the drivers of a Chevrolet Corvette and a Lamborghini Urus were speeding about 6:20 p.m. in the 6600 block of North Central Expressway, between Lovers Lane and University Boulevard, where each lost control. The Lamborghini traveled onto the shoulder and “hit the center median wall, causing a chain reaction collision involving four other vehicles.”
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Footage obtained by The News shows the Lamborghini and Corvette trying to pass cars in the left lane before slamming into a white sedan and colliding with multiple vehicles across several lanes of traffic. Rice’s attorney, state Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, said at a news conference last week that the former Richland High School and SMU star told police he was driving the Lamborghini.
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After the crash, Rice and four other men were seen on video leaving the scene. Police have said the men didn’t stop to see if anyone needed medical attention or provide any of their information.
Police said the passengers will not face charges.
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Motorists involved in crashes that result or are “reasonably likely” to result in injury or death must stop at or near the scene, or return to the scene and determine whether a person is involved or needs aid, according to the Texas statute. They must also remain near the crash until information and aid has been given.
If a motorist doesn’t comply with the law, they may face up to five years of prison or one year in jail, along with a fine of up to $5,000. If there is serious bodily injury in the crash, the offense is a third-degree felony, and if there is a death, it is a second-degree felony, the law says.
Defense attorney and former prosecutor Toby Shook said it’s not uncommon for someone to face the serious bodily injury charge if they leave the scene of a crash — without leaving any identification — where there was an injury, serious injury or death. The number of counts reflects the number of vehicles involved in the crash.
“I’ve had clients charged with that and the accident’s not their fault sometimes, but they may hit someone,” said Shook, who isn’t involved in Rice or Knox’s case.
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The aggravated assault charge, which is the most serious of the charges, isn’t as common, Shook said. Aggravated assault charges are more common in situations where someone intentionally attacks or threatens another with a weapon, he said. However, Shook said the charge can also be brought for “reckless intent.”
At least three of the victims of the crash have retained legal counsel, lawyers have said.
Rice and Knox were teammates while playing at SMU in 2022.
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Knox is a redshirt sophomore. He is originally from Louisiana but spent his last two high school football seasons playing at The Woodlands, near Houston.
As a three-star wide receiver recruit out of high school, Knox spent his freshman season with Mississippi State in 2021. He played in three games before being redshirted. He transferred to SMU before the 2022 season.
Knox played in 23 games for the Mustangs over the next two seasons, serving mostly on special teams where he made four tackles. Rice attended SMU from 2019-2022, becoming one of the best wide receivers in program history before being drafted by the Chiefs in 2023. He won a Super Bowl with the team in February.
Staff writer Zaeem Shaikh and digital sports producer R.J. Coyle contributed to this report.