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Travis Kelce, Chiefs Ripped for Wearing Pregame Shirt in Support of Suspended Teammate

Liam McKeone

Travis Kelce wore a 'Free 4' shirt in support of the suspended Rashee Rice on Sunday.
Travis Kelce wore a 'Free 4' shirt in support of the suspended Rashee Rice on Sunday. / Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
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The Chiefs fell to 0-2 on the season with a 20-17 loss to the Eagles on Sunday. But even before opening kickoff there was criticism directed towards some players for the shirts they wore during pregame warmups.

Travis Kelce and Tyquan Thorton were spotted wearing "Free 4" shirts in support of suspended Kansas City wide receiver Rashee Rice. Rice, a second-round pick in the 2023 draft, was suspended by the NFL after he entered a guilty plea to felony charges stemming from a 2024 multicar crash that resulted in several people getting injured. Rice faced third-degree felonies for a collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on the highway causing bodily injury.

Ahead of Rice missing the second game of the year, Kelce and Thorton donned the shirts emblazoned with graphics of the wideout and a big "FREE 4" message across the top.

This was not received well and the two were ripped by the NFL world for the shirts.

Rice pled guilty to the felony charges in July. A judge sentenced the Chiefs wideout to five years of deferred probation and 30 days of jail time. Additionally, Rice was ordered to pay over $100,000 in restitution to victims of the crash for medical expenses.

"There have been a lot of sleepless nights thinking about the damages that my actions caused, and I will continue working within my means to make sure that everyone impacted will be made whole," Rice said in a statement after he entered his guilty pleas. "I urge everyone to mind the speed limit, drive safe and drive smart. Last and certainly not least, I am profoundly sorry for the physical damages to person and property. I fully apologize for the harm I caused to innocent drivers and their families."

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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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