Civil suit alleging assault filed against Chiefs' Rice

An ex-girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice has filed a civil lawsuit in Texas alleging he repeatedly assaulted her during an 18-month span from 2023 to 2025. Dacoda Jones, who said she was pregnant during many of the alleged assaults, is seeking more than $1 million.

Jones alleges that Rice strangled her in December 2023, and exhibited a history of abusive behavior through the relationship in both Texas and Missouri until July 2025.

“Rice has grabbed, choked, strangled, pushed, thrown, scratched, hit, and headbutted Ms. Jones, as well as hit her with inanimate objects,” the lawsuit says.

The suit, filed Monday, also says Rice punched walls, destroyed property and broke furniture while also locking her out of their apartment at night.

Jones claimed physical pain and mental anguish, physical impairment, disfigurement, previous and future medical care and loss of earnings as part of the damages in the suit.

It remains unclear whether police in the Dallas or Kansas City areas, where the couple resided, were alerted to incidents of domestic violence at their homes. ESPN records requests have so far yielded no results.

One of Jones’ attorneys declined comment.

“The club is aware [of the lawsuit] and remains in communication with the National Football League,” the Chiefs said in a statement Wednesday. Messages with Rice’s agents and Rice were not immediately returned to ESPN.

“On October 9th, 2025, well after the parties’ relationship had ended, Ms. Jones stated under penalty of perjury in a sworn Affidavit for Non-Prosecution that ‘Mr. Rice and I had a verbal argument, but he did not punch me,'” Rice’s attorney, Sean Lindsey, said in a statement. “We will allow the legal process to run its course and have no further comment at this time.”

Jones initially posted photos of the alleged abuse on Instagram last month, displaying a bruised lip, bruising on her legs and chest, scratches on her face and shoulders and multiple photos of damaged property. Jones referred to her alleged abuser indirectly as the father of her two children.

In the since-deleted Instagram post, she wrote: “I’m so tired of keeping quiet I’m so tired of protecting his image. I’ve been through too much in a span of 8 years and I’ve had ENOUGH!” She said she and Rice broke up in 2025 “and since then it’s been nothing but hell.”

The NFL said it would investigate the woman’s claims after she posted the initial allegations. The league said Wednesday that “the matter remains under review.”

In 2025, Rice pleaded guilty to felony collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury for his role in a multicar crash in Dallas in May 2024. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years’ probation, along with an order to pay more than $115,000 in restitution to victims of the crash. Rice was driving 119 mph just before the crash.

The NFL suspended him six games last season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, stemming from the incident.