Suit seeks millions from Chiefs’ Rice, SMU’s Knox

Rashee Rice and Teddy Knox are being sued in Texas for over $1 million in actual damages and $10 million in punitive damages by two people who say they were injured in a six-vehicle crash March 30 in Dallas.

The plaintiffs, Edvard Petrovskiy and Irina Gromova, allege Rice and Knox deliberately raced their vehicles at speeds well beyond the posted limits and caused the six-vehicle crash that led to their injuries.

Rice, a wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, was the leaseholder of both vehicles and was driving one at the time of the crash. Knox, a football player and former teammate of Rice’s at SMU Mustangs, was driving the other.

Rice, 23, and Knox, 21, are each facing one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury, according to police.

In the lawsuit, Petrovskiy and Gromova claim injuries that include brain trauma, cuts to the face requiring stitches, bruises, disfigurement and internal bleeding.

They are asking for actual damages that include medical care, physical pain and suffering, loss of earning capacity, mental anguish and property damage of $71,122.69.

On April 3, Rice said in an Instagram post that he took “full responsibility” for his actions.

Earlier Monday, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said that the team expects Rice to participate as they began their offseason program Monday with virtual meetings. Reid wouldn’t say whether the Chiefs were planning on having Rice participate later in the spring when they move the program to Kansas City.

“I want to keep gathering the information from the law enforcement people,” Reid said. “We’ll just see where everything goes from there [and] let the process take place.”

Knox has been suspended by SMU, which said in a statement last week that it “takes these allegations seriously.”