During last night’s pregame show, given an update about the Rashee Rice situation. We discussed it more extensively this morning, during PFT-live.

The NFL offers paid leave to players facing felony charges. Rice faces felony charges — eight in all — stemming from a street racing incident in Dallas in March 2024.

Then why wasn’t he sent on paid leave?

The most obvious explanation is that the league typically uses paid time off (also known as the Commissioner Exempt List) in domestic violence cases. Rice’s case did not. While it could have been much worse, this was behavior that should have been deterred. Rice (and the other cars involved in the crash) got lucky this time. Maybe next time, the luck will turn a different way.

Still, the league has said it does not expect to place Rice on paid leave unless there is a “material change” in the case. Such a change could come from a guilty plea to one or more felony charges. At that point, the league could place him on paid leave pending an official internal review and sanction of the Personal Conduct Policy.

A guilty plea during the 2024 season is unlikely, however. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, there is no trial date set. It is expected to take place in December 2024. So there is no rush to reach a plea deal until the lawyers are staring at a trial date.

Of course, if prosecutors choose to bully Rice, they could offer him a deal now — with a short fuse for accepting it, and a threat/promise that if he declines, the case will go to trial on all charges. That would force Rice to choose between legal and career outcomes.

For now, the idea is that Rice (who had 103 receiving yards last night) can have a great sophomore season. If the case is resolved after the 2024 campaign and he serves a suspension to start the season, he’ll be seen as a great player before the suspension starts.

It’s hard to imagine Rice not eventually being suspended. But it’s currently unlikely he’ll miss time in 2024 due to the off-field issue.