Rashee Rice recently spoke to the media for the first time after his car crash, which landed him in a $10 million lawsuit. During the press conference following Sunday’s OTA, the Chiefs’ wideout acknowledged that he has learned a great deal from the accident and off-field incidents during this off-season. Rice also added that he will continue to grow and mature, which, in his view, is a step in the right direction.
Advertisement
However, where he seemed to lose the plot, as Shannon Sharpe immediately pointed out while reading his statement, is by saying that he’ll continue to walk around “being the same person.” Sharpe was quick to ask how Rice could remain the same person while hoping to mature and grow.
In contrast, Ocho, Sharpe’s co-host on Nightcap, provided an alternate view. He stated that Rice just jumbled up the words; he did not put them in the right context. But even Johnson agreed that Rice has to make better decisions from now on.
“You (Rashee Rice) wanna be a better person than before,” Ocho said. “And your decision making has to get better. And obviously the people that you hang around, when you not making the right decision, you have to have a fallback guy that could make that decision for you. You got to check the people around you bro.”
According to the two athletes turned broadcasters, Rice needs to have someone in his life to lead him to a better place. People around Rice have to also grow up and mature; not everyone can be “on go”. At least one of them needs to hit the brakes.
Sharpe put it concisely for Rice: “That’s why you have people around you who will tell you what you need to know and not what you want to hear.”
Sharpe Explains Why Athletes Have Only Yes-People Around Them
Further on, the two veterans pointed out that someone in Rice’s friend circle will need to step up — if the Chiefs’ star fails to do so. But once they do stand up, there’s a chance Rice himself will start resenting them.
And that’s one of the core reasons why friends and people around professional athletes tend to agree with everything they say. Trying to talk sense into them or continuously stopping them from living out their whims will build up resentment, eventually leading to the athlete or celebrity cutting off access to friends and close ones.
But someone has to step up for Rice. As for Sharpe, it was his sister who always humbled him and kept him grounded. She was the voice of reason in his life, and Sharpe has built up a massive legacy even after hanging up the cleats. Thus, the right decision for Rice will be to take an introspective look into his personal life.
