Following domestic violence allegations she made last month, a former girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice this week filed a lawsuit against Rice, accusing him of physical assault. Dacoda Jones, the mother of Rice’s two children, filed the civil suit in Dallas County (Texas) District Court and seeks $1 million in damages.
Jones said in the lawsuit, filed on Monday, that Rice assaulted her over the course of many months from December 2023 through July 2025 and caused severe and permanent injuries.
The lawsuit states that Rice strangled Jones at their shared home in Victory Park, Texas, in December 2023 and continued to assault her over the course of their relationship. Many of his alleged acts occurred while Jones was pregnant. In addition to the physical assault, Rice is also accused of abusive behaviors including throwing objects, destroying property and locking Jones out of their home in the middle of the night.
Rice responded to the lawsuit via his legal representation.
“On October 9th, 2025, well after the parties’ relationship had ended, Ms. Jones stated under penalty of perjury in a sworn Affidavit for Non-Prosecution that ‘Mr. Rice and I had a verbal argument, but he did not punch me.’ We will allow the legal process to run its course and have no further comment at this time,” Rice’s attorney, Sean Lindsey, said in a statement to ESPN.
The Chiefs also issued a statement after the lawsuit was filed.
“The club is aware and remains in communication with the National Football League,” the team said.
Jones did not refer to Rice by name when she brought forth the domestic violence allegations in January. She posted photos to Instagram of herself with a bloody lip and scratches and bruises on her face and body. She accused an unnamed partner of physical abuse, said the couple broke up in late 2025 and mentioned that the former partner locked her outside in freezing weather.
“I’m so tired of keeping quiet I’m so tired of protecting his image,” Jones said in the since-deleted social media post. “I’ve been through enough in the 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 it’s been nothing but hell.
“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.”
Off-the-field storylines have now followed Rice in each of the last three offseasons. Last summer, the NFL suspended him for the first six games of the 2025 campaign for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The suspension was a result of a traffic incident that occurred in March 2024. Rice pleaded guilty to two felony charges in a hit-and-run and was sentenced to 30 days of jail time and five years of probation.
Rice hauled in 53 catches for 571 yards and five touchdowns across eight games last season after serving his suspension. The former second-round NFL Draft pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract with Kansas City.
