Jerry Rice Confronts Reporters at Celebrity Golf Tournament, Threatens Them with Violence

The American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe was the scene of surprising drama involving an NFL legend on Thursday.

Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice confronted two people who asked him questions as he walked across the court, with the NFL’s all-time leading receiver ultimately threatening violence. The natural assumption would be that Rice was offended by something provocative and responded accordingly. But based on video footage of the incident, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Rice can be seen telling one of the reporters, “I’m going to f–k you.” As security separated Rice from the two men, he walked away, saying, “If you want some, come get some.” Video footage of the confrontation was obtained by TMZ Sports, which posted the clip to social media.

After the incident, an onlooker asked one of the reporters (who, according to TMZ, works for Starcade Media) what had happened. He said, “The craziest thing that’s ever happened in my life,” and then said he had asked Rice if the Kansas City Chiefs’ receiving corps was good enough to win another Super Bowl.

The Chiefs finished seventh in the NFL with 4,383 receiving yards, though that number obviously includes yards collected by tight ends and running backs, in addition to receivers. Kansas City, however, did not have a 1,000-yard receiver. Rashee Rice led the team among receivers with 79 catches for 938 yards. (Travis Kelce was the Chiefs’ leading pass catcher with 93 receptions for 984 yards.)

Kansas City added two notable receivers during the offseason, signing free agent Marquise Brown and drafting Texas speedster Xavier Worthy with their first-round draft pick. The team re-signed Mecole Hardman but lost Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency.

TMZ tracked down Rice after the incident and asked him about it, to which he said he saw the question as a shot at his former team, the San Francisco 49ers, who defeated the Chiefs in last season’s Super Bowl. According to Rice, the men “had smirks on their faces” indicating they were trying to get a reaction out of him.

While it’s difficult to hear everything that was said in the video, Rice’s account of the confrontation doesn’t contradict what the reporters said. While speaking to the bystander, one of the reporters suggested that Rice may have been intoxicated. That, of course, can’t be verified. So it’s a “he said, he said” scenario, with each side having its own version of events.

In a statement on social media, Starcade Media insisted that they meant no disrespect to Rice and were not trying to provoke Rice, nor were there any “smirks” as was believed.

Perhaps Rice’s feelings about the Chiefs’ receivers will be revisited in a different setting later.