‘Free4’ shirt was wrong. Chiefs players, let’s not see it again | Opinion
Before or after the Kansas City Chiefs take the field Sunday against the New York Giants, Travis Kelce should acknowledge his faux pas for wearing a “Free 4” T-shirt last week for suspended teammate Rashee Rice.
Kelce was wrong, and so were wide receivers Tyquan Thornton and Hollywood Brown, who were among a handful of players who wore the shirts.
So far, Kelce has been quiet on what could be a relatively minor controversy that he could easily put to rest — and that is somewhat disappointing. Before or after Sunday’s game, he’d be wise to address the issue. He and his teammates’ wardrobe selection was as tone deaf as can be. And while Kelce wasn’t the only Chief to don the shirts emblazoned with “Free 4” — a reference to Rice’s jersey number — he’s by far the most accomplished of them.
Kelce is a future Hall of Fame player, one of the team’s more popular and tenured athletes and a vocal leader. At minimum, he should at least admit he erred by wearing the shirt, a choice that sent the wrong message to the people Rice hurt in a wreck last March on a Dallas freeway.
And let me be clear: There was not a shred of injustice in this legal saga Rice brought on himself. I watched some of the horrible footage of the wreck caught on camera — and the third-year pro out of SMU recently pleaded guilty to two felony counts related to the crash.
While we all can feel for the situation this talented wide receiver finds himself in, Rice is no victim here. For his part, Rice has owned his actions that day in Dallas — well, he has through statements released from his attorney — so that is encouraging. But his teammates did Rice no favor with their wardrobe choice before a Week 2 home loss to defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia.
I have repeatedly said Rice is fortunate he did not seriously injure himself or kill someone else. He is extremely lucky to have avoided jail time, too. And he is blessed to still have a job with the Chiefs despite being suspended by the NFL for the first six games this season.
Thornton, the wide receiver, told The Star’s Vahe Gregorian that he wore the shirt to support Rice, as reported in a column by The Star’s Sam McDowell.
“He wishes he could be out here with us competing at a high level,” Thornton said. “Got a lot of love for him.”
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid downplayed the issue as well.
“I’ve seen it since. I didn’t see it then,” Reid said, according to CBS Sports. “But I would tell you, I know these guys love Rashee and they feel for him sitting out here. And so I think it’s no more than that.”
To me, Reid’s take was off-base, but he has a reputation of protecting his players, so his comments weren’t all that surprising. In this instance, he should not have had to even address the mishap — that onus is on the players, mainly Kelce.
Marc Lenahan, a lawyer representing one of the victims injured in the six-car crash, took the players to task for their wardrobe decision, in a story on TMZ Sports.
“Rashee isn’t Nelson Mandela or Pepe Mujica, men who fought for what they believed in,” Lenahan told the outlet.
Rice is no peacekeeper, that’s for sure. He earned his suspension and the criminal charges associated with the wreck.
His teammates seemingly forgot this.
This story was originally published September 20, 2025 at 5:08 AM.