DALLAS (AP) — The former girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice alleges in a lawsuit filed this week that he physically assaulted her multiple times over a year-and-a-half, causing injuries that included bleeding and bruising.
The lawsuit filed Monday in Dallas County by Dacoda Jones comes after she made domestic violence allegations in a series of social media posts last month. She is seeking more than $1 million in the lawsuit, which says the assaults happened at their homes in Dallas and suburban Kansas City.
In the lawsuit, Jones accuses Rice of strangling her in December 2023 after an “escalation in violent behavior” and that he continued to assault her over the course of their relationship, through July 2025. Jones' attorney did not immediately respond to a question from The Associated Press on whether police had ever been called related to these incidents.
The lawsuit said Rice has “grabbed, choked, strangled, pushed, thrown, scratched, hit, and headbutted” Jones, in addition to hitting her with objects. The lawsuit said Rice has also thrown objects, punched walls and broken furniture, and that many of these incidents happened when Jones, who has two children with Rice, was pregnant.
Her injuries have included “bleeding, swelling, bruising and other pain and physical injury," according to the lawsuit.
Agents listed for Rice did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press on Wednesday. An attorney for Rice also did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
The Chiefs said they were aware of the lawsuit and remain in communication with the NFL. The NFL said the matter remains under review.
Rice missed the first six games of last season following an NFL suspension for his role in a high-speed crash on a Dallas highway that left multiple people injured during the 2024 offseason. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years’ probation after pleading guilty to third-degree felony charges of collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury.
Rice finished with 53 catches for 571 yards and five touchdowns as Kansas City went 6-11 and missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
AP Pro Football Writer Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report.
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FILE - Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) speaks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Nov. 23, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
The group of 15 backcountry skiers headed out on a three-day trek organized by Blackbird Mountain Guides into pristine wilderness near Frog Lake in California's Sierra Nevada as a powerful winter storm moved into the state.
The skiers on Sunday made their way to remote huts situated at 7,600 feet (3,415 meters) in Tahoe National Forest, carrying their own food and supplies. At 6:49 a.m. that same morning, the Sierra Avalanche Center had issued an avalanche watch for the area, indicating that large slides were likely in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Two days later, as the group was making its way back out to a trailhead and the center increased the watch to a warning, an avalanche hit near Castle Peak, trapping the skiers. Authorities said Wednesday that eight people were killed and one person remained missing. Six skiers were rescued after sheltering in place for hours as search crews battled blizzard conditions.
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said investigators were looking into the decision to proceed with the trip on Sunday despite the forecast for a major storm.
“We’re still in conversation with them on the decision factors that they made,” Moon said at a Wednesday news conference announcing the deaths.
Before the disaster, the tour company said its guides were highly skilled in dealing with extreme conditions and that it offered avalanche education. It’s not known if the guides would have known about the avalanche warning as they returned to the trailhead.
“If you’ve booked the Frog Lake Huts in Truckee, trust our guides to elevate your trip to the next level,” the business said on its website, advertising the trip. “We’ll navigate in and out of the huts, manage the risks, and find the best terrain and snow quality for you and your group!”
Blackbird Mountain Guides said in a statement Tuesday that it was coordinating with authorities. Three of the guides were among those killed, officials said.
The company, with offices in California and Washington state, offers mountaineering and backcountry ski trips across the U.S. West Coast as well as in Europe and Japan. The tour outfit also offers safety courses like wilderness skills and first aid.
The rugged terrain where the skiers died had been closed to the public for a century before the Truckee Donner Land Trust bought it and opened the huts, which are outfitted with basic accommodations such as sleeping pads, gas stoves and flush toilets.
The tour, which cost $1,165.00 per person, was rated for intermediate-to-expert skiers with at least 20 days of backcountry experience who should be prepared to climb up to 2,500 vertical feet (760 meters) throughout the course of a day, according to the company’s website. Guides carry first aid kits and “wag bags” for human waste disposal, but participants must bring their own ski equipment and avalanche gear, including a beacon, shovel and probe.
“Generally our guides are able to find excellent backcountry snow conditions, but often we need to travel through difficult conditions to access the goods,” the website description said. “This requires riders to be adept with their backcountry touring skills and have a solid foundation of touring before the trip.”
Rapidly accumulating snow piling on fragile snowpack layers, along with strong winds, contributed to the treacherous conditions this week. The town of Soda Springs, near where the avalanche took place, recorded at least 30 inches (76 centimeters) of snow during a 24-hour period, according to the Soda Springs Mountain Resort.
Anthony Pavlantos, owner of Utah-based Prival USA, makes avalanche safety equipment and runs mountain safety programs. He said often the safest option when severe weather or avalanches hit is to quickly move out of the area, rather than hunker down.
“It was quite likely very necessary for them to leave the backcountry so their hazard wasn’t increased further,” Pavlantos said of the skiers struck by the California avalanche.
Associated Press writers Julie Watson in San Diego and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this report.
Snow covers a road on an underpass along interstate 80 on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 near Soda Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon updates media on rescue efforts following an avalanche at a news conference in Nevada City, Calif. on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Tran Nguyen)
Snow piles up along a road on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 near Soda Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
Snow covers a street sign on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
A road is cleared during a snow storm on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 near Soda Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
A street is covered in snow on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
