Court rules against SMU's Theodore Knox in $2.8M judgment - ESPN

A Texas court on Wednesday issued a default judgment of more than $2.8 million against Theodore Knox, the co-defendant in one of the lawsuits against Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice stemming from a 2024 street racing crash in Dallas.

Judge Kim Bailey Phipps ruled that Knox, one of Rice's teammates at Southern Methodist University, was «grossly negligent» after he and Rice lost control of their cars and crashed on a central Dallas highway on March 30, 2024.

The judgment was handled by submission, meaning the decision was rendered based on written documents and already-filed evidence. Knox was not present for the hearing, and no attorney was listed for him in court records. Messages left with Knox on the day of the initial default judgment filing went unreturned to ESPN.

Rice's case is scheduled to go to trial June 9. Rice also is named in a Feb. 16 lawsuit filed by Dacoda Jones, who alleges Rice repeatedly assaulted her during an 18-month span from 2023 to 2025, including choking her in December 2023.

Jones' attorneys stated they have been unable to serve Rice with the lawsuit despite four visits to his Dallas-area residence, according to a court filing.

The NFL closed its investigation into Rice on April 3 and determined «there was insufficient evidence to support a finding that he violated the personal conduct policy.»

Rice is changing attorneys in the street-racing case. Royce West and Craig Capua have withdrawn as Rice's counsel, according to court filings, and Thomas M. McMurray filed a motion to become Rice's attorney.

In Wednesday's ruling against Knox, the court awarded Kathryn Kuykendall, one of the victims in the case, nearly $2.88 million, including punitive damages plus costs for medical expenses, lost