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A former girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice filed a civil lawsuit this week in Texas alleging he assaulted her during a span from December 2023 to July 2025.
Dacoda Jones, with whom Rice has two children, said she was pregnant during many of the alleged assaults. She filed the suit on Monday in Dallas County, Texas, and is seeking damages of more than $1m, according to attorney Ron Estefan.
Per the lawsuit, Rice and Jones lived together in Victory Park, Texas, and Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Jones, in the lawsuit, claims Rice strangled her in December 2023, and alleged that between 2023 and 2025, he “grabbed, choked, strangled, pushed, thrown, scratched, hit and headbutted Ms Jones, as well as hit her with inanimate objects”.
According to the lawsuit, Rice displayed violent behaviors, including “throwing objects, destroying property, punching walls, and breaking furniture, as well as locking her out in the middle of the night”.
As part of the damages in the lawsuit, Jones claimed physical pain and mental anguish, physical impairment, disfigurement, previous and future medical care and loss of earnings.
One of Jones’s attorneys declined comment to ESPN. Rice, who has not been charged criminally in this matter, and his agents had not responded to attempts by the Athletic and ESPN for comment.
“The club is aware [of the lawsuit] and remains in communication with the National Football League,” the Chiefs said in a statement Wednesday.
Jones posted photos on her Instagram account last month that appeared to show signs of physical abuse.
“I’m so tired of keeping quiet I’m so tired of protecting his image,” Jones wrote in a since-deleted post. “I’ve been through too much in the span of 8 years and I’ve had ENOUGH! I’ve dealt with abuse for years, me and this man decided to break up a couple months ago and since then it’s been nothing but hell.
“He literally left us in Kansas and I had to beg him to send money so that I could drive to Texas with my kids and all our stuff,” she wrote. “We have an agreement because of everything he’s put me through and he still doesn’t follow it. He’s now trying to remove me and my kids from our home for no apparent reason. I’ve known this man for YEARS. He tries to put on this persona like he’s dad of the year. He does the bare minimum and I have to beg for that. I’ve protected his image too long and I’m done doing that. It’s time to protect my peace, protect my children and stand up for myself.“
The NFL said on Wednesday that the matter “remains under review.“
Rice, 25, started the 2025 season by serving a six-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy stemming from his role in a multi-car crash in Dallas that left several people injured during the 2024 season. He pleaded guilty in district court to two third-degree felony charges – collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury.
The crash involved six vehicles. Rice and four of his friends didn’t check on those injured and fled on foot before police arrived.
Rice was sentenced to five years of deferred probation and 30 days in jail. He also was required to pay more than $115,000 in restitution to the victims of the crash.
