Travis Kelce & Chiefs Teammates Once Again Face Backlash Over “Free 4” Shirts Amid Rashee Rice Abuse Allegations

Yeah, those shirts look even worse now.

Travis Kelce and several of his Kansas City Chiefs teammates are once again under fire for wearing “Free 4” shirts supporting wide receiver Rashee Rice earlier this season, after disturbing new allegations have surfaced against the NFL player.

It was obviously a disastrous season for the Chiefs, who missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014 and also ended up losing superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes to an ACL injury.

The team was also forced to play the first six games of the season without star wide receiver Rice after he was suspended following his conviction on two felonies related to his involvement in a high-speed car crash.

Back in March 2024, Rice was driving his Lamborghini in Dallas and struck a retaining wall, causing what authorities say was a “chain reaction collision” involving four other vehicles. Two people were injured in the crash and taken to the hospital, and video showed Rice getting out of his car and leaving the scene without checking on the occupants of the other vehicles.

The wide receiver was arrested a few days later, and ultimately pleaded guilty to two felony charges, including one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and one count of racing on a highway causing bodily injury. He was sentenced to five years of probation and 30 days in jail, and a judge also ordered him to pay over $115,000 in medical expenses to the victims of the crash.

Those victims also filed lawsuits against Rice, with the wide receiver settling with one victim for $1 million plus attorney fees, while one victim who was involved in the crash along with her 4-year old son blasted Rice and the others for fleeing the scene:

“No one stopped. It’s the fact that there was no sympathy shown to where y’all can even have the decency to stop and check to make sure someone’s OK, someone’s alive.”

So it was a little bizarre back in September when Rice’s teammates on the Chiefs, including Travis Kelce and Tyquan Thornton, appeared for pregame warmups wearing “Free 4” shirts in support of the suspended player:

But now, those shirts might be an even worse look than they were at the time.

Yesterday afternoon, Rice’s ex-girlfriend Dacoda Nichole Jones took to Instagram to share some disturbing photos and allegations against Rice of “years” of domestic abuse:

“I’m so tired of keeping quiet I’m so tired of protecting his image. I’ve been through too much in a span of 8 years and I’ve had ENOUGH!

I’ve dealt with abuse for years, me and this man decided to break up a couple months ago and since then it’s been nothing but hell. He’s very controlling there’s been times he’s came to my new home broken my door, there’s been times when he would put his hands on me while I was pregnant even had the audacity to lock me outside all night in ten degree weather because he got caught cheating.

He’s cut up all my shoes and clothes leaving me with nothing because he’s gotten caught up. And there’s multiple instances of cheating but besides that I’m just tired of him not doing right by my boys. It’s not fair he doesn’t call them. He rather be layed up with hoes. He literally left us in Kansas and I had to beg him to send money so that I could drive to Texas with my kids and all our stuff.

We have an agreement because of everything he’s put me through and he still doesn’t follow it. He’s now trying to remove me and my kids from our home for no apparent reason.

I’ve known this man for YEARS. He tries to put on this persona like he’s dad of the year. He does the bare minimum and I have to beg for that.

I’ve protected his image too long and I’m done doing that. It’s time to protect my peace, protect my children and stand up for myself”

After the allegations were made public, the Kansas City Chiefs released a statement, basically saying the bare minimum at this point:

“The club is aware of the allegations on social media and is in communication with the National Football League. We have no further comment at this time.”

I feel like they just have that statement ready to go no matter what the situation is…

But anyway, given Rice’s past legal history and these new allegations, many on social media began to once again call out Kelce and his fellow players for their vocal support of Rice earlier in the season:

“Whole damn team was wearing “Free 4” shirts too. Including that big b—- Kelce. Would like to see what they say now”

“They were wearing “Free 4” shirts as if Rashee Rice hasn’t been a scumbag with multiple off the field issues”

Is anyone actually surprised? He’s a horrible human being. Also, remember when Chiefs players were wearing those “Free 4” shirts? I bet they feel really proud right now!

— Tommy (@1tzTommy) January 7, 2026

The same @tkelce that wears a free 4 shirt ? About a guy who almost killed people that fled a scene of an accident and now accused of sexual assault? That Travis kelce ? Yikes. pic.twitter.com/9HWNenEUFq

— Jerm (@All___Rise___99) January 8, 2026

Yeah, that didn’t exactly age well.

Of course Rice hasn’t been charged in relation to the domestic violence allegations, and at this point is legally presumed innocent.

But man, not a great look for Kelce and his crew who were so vocal about supporting this guy.The post Travis Kelce & Chiefs Teammates Once Again Face Backlash Over “Free 4” Shirts Amid Rashee Rice Abuse Allegations first appeared on Whiskey Riff.