UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas — Representatives with Southern Methodist University confirm that Teddy Knox, a 21-year-old junior cornerback on the SMU football team, has been suspended from the team in the wake of eight charges being filed against him for his involvement in a multi-vehicle crash on U.S. 75 in late March.
Police say Knox was driving one of two cars involved in the six-vehicle collision on Saturday, March 30, that shut down the Dallas highway for hours and sent at least two people to the hospital.
On Wednesday, the Dallas Police Department issued warrants for both Knox and former standout SMU wide receiver Rashee Rice, the 23-year-old North Richland Hills native who won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs this past season as an NFL rookie.
Police sources on Friday told WFAA that Knox has turned himself into authorities. His total bond amount was $40,000. He bonded out of DeSoto's Tri-City Jail around 1:30 p.m. on Friday.
According to online records, on Thursday evening Rice turned himself in to the Glenn Heights Police Department and was then taken to the DeSoto Jail. His combined bond total is $40,000.
Rice's attorney Royce West issued a statement late Thursday saying "Mr. Rashee Rice turned himself in today and was released on bond. I want to re-emphasis Mr. Rice's continued cooperation with law enforcement. Mr. Rice acknowledges his actions and feels deeply for those injured as a result of this accident. Our legal team is now tasked with reviewing all legal documents."
Both men face eight charges for their involvement in the collision: six counts of collision involving bodily injury, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury, and one count of aggravated assault, according to the warrant. All of the charges are felonies.
Collision involving injury carries a penalty of imprisonment in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for not more than five years or confinement in the county jail for not more than one year, a fine not to exceed $5,000, or both.
Collision involving serious bodily injury – a third-degree felony – carries a punishment of imprisonment in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice of not more than 10 years or less than 2 years.
Aggravated assault – a second-degree felony – is punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Of the six cars involved in the crash, two were listed under Rice's name -- a Corvette leased by Rice and a Lamborghini SUV that had been rented in Rice's name. Police said they believe the two cars were street racing along U.S. 75 when they caused a multi-vehicle collision, allegedly with Rice driving the Lamborghini and Knox driving the Corvette.
In dashcam and cell phone footage that WFAA obtained of the incident, the drivers and passengers of both vehicles can be seen emerging from their cars and leaving the scene of the crash without checking on the statuses of the others involved in the crash and without sharing any insurance information with the other drivers.
A police report also said marijuana was found in both cars, as well as credit cards, a $16,500 check, a diamond chain, and the playbook for the Kansas City Chiefs. The police report said 10.8 grams of marijuana was found in the vehicle Rice was driving, a misdemeanor amount in Texas, though no possession charges were filed against Rice or any of his passengers.
The four passengers in the vehicles listed under Rice's name are not being charged for their involvement in the collision, Dallas police said.
In a statement issued on Friday, SMU said it was aware of the arrest warrant for Knox, and that Knox had been suspended from the football team. The school said it "takes these allegations seriously," but said federal student privacy laws prevented the university from further commenting on any disciplinary actions it may take as a result of Knox's charges.
Deandra Grant, the attorney representing Knox, told WFAA that her client has "cooperated fully with law enforcement" and that she had no further comment to add beyond that.
Marc Lenahan, an attorney representing one of the victims in the crash, told WFAA that he and his client "look forward to reading any of the charges to see what the Dallas Police Department’s Investigation has found."
On his profile on the SMU football website, Knox's hometown is listed as Baton Rouge, Louisiana, although he graduated from The Woodlands High School near Houston. ESPN ranked him as the NO. 1 wide receiver in his class coming out of high school. Knox started his college football career at Mississippi State, where he played in three games over the course of a season that was eventually redshirted.
He transferred to SMU in 2022, catching four passes for three yards and registering four tackles across 12 games played in during his freshman campaign. As a sophomore this past season, Knox appeared in 11 games as a mostly special teams player, registering four tackles throughout the season.