Sep 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (80) makes a reception for a touchdown defended by Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (27) during the fourth quarter of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Andy Reid Shares Thoughts on Gesture Toward Rashee Rice

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Zak Gilbert | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 3:00 PM ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tyquan Thornton arrived at Arrowhead Stadium in the T-shirt, then wore it during early warmups before Sunday’s 20-17 loss to the Eagles . Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and wide receivers Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and others also wore the shirt before donning pads on Sunday.

It’s a simple black shirt with big, bubble lettering on the front, “Free 4 ,” complete with four action shots of Rashee Rice. The back of the shirt includes similar images of the wide receiver, two weeks into his six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy – the result of his role in a multi-vehicle auto accident during the 2024 offseason.

#Chiefs Tyquan Thornton wearing a “Free 4” shirt #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/d9b1Mkoa3i
— Matt Foster (@MattFosterTV) September 14, 2025

Reid responds to statement

And while professional athletes have made political, labor-related and other controversial demonstrations in similar fashion, don’t group Sunday’s gesture in that category.

“I would tell you,” head coach Andy Reid said Monday, “I know these guys love Rashee, and they feel for him sitting out here. And so, 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. I really don't think it's more than that.”

Under terms of the suspension

As part of the league’s standard policies for suspended players, Rice not only forfeits his per-game salary for each of the Chiefs’ first six games, he also isn’t allowed contact with the team or allowed to set foot in the team’s headquarters during the suspension.

Rice will miss Kansas City’s Sunday night road game with the Giants this week, the Week 4 showdown with the Ravens, a Monday night road trip to Jacksonville in Week 5 and a difficult test back at Arrowhead with the Lions in Week 6. He’s eligible to return to the team on Monday, Oct. 13, six days before the Chiefs host the Raiders in Week 7.

So, the Chiefs’ gesture of solidarity to support their teammate isn’t controversial. What’s more concerning is how the offense is performing without him, compounded with the loss of Xavier Worthy.

Since the Chiefs signed Hollywood Brown as a free agent in 2024, Patrick Mahomes has yet to call a play in a huddle that includes Brown, Rice and Worthy. Brown sustained a shoulder injury in his first Kansas City preseason game in 2024. By the time he returned late in the season, Rice was out for the year after a Week 4 knee injury.

And Worthy sustained a dislocated shoulder in the Week 1 loss the Chargers, the result of a friendly-fire collision with Kelce on the third snap of the season. Entering the two Monday night games that conclude the Week 2 schedule, the Chiefs rank 17th in both passing yards per game (211.0) and passing yards per play (6.21).

This article first appeared on Kansas City Chiefs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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