Simeon James Rice was born on 24 February 1974, in Chicago, Illinois USA, to Evelyn, a school teacher, and Henry Rice, who worked on the assembly line at Ford, of African-American descent. He is a former American Football player, best known as defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League (NFL) and current screenwriter, director and producer.
A noted defensive line, how loaded is Simeon Rice? According to sources, Rice has earned a fortune of over $22.5 million, as of early 2017, largely established through his involvement in football, and in the film and music industry.
Simeon Rice Net Worth $22.5 million
Rice grew up in a rough, gang populated neighborhood of Chicago, along with his four siblings. There he attended Mount Carmel High School, playing for the school’s football team, which was known for winning many state championships. He enrolled at the University of Illinois, joining the school’s team, the Fighting Illini, setting a school record with nine sacks and being voted the Big Ten Rookie of the Year. He went on to score 16 sacks, a school record, being named a Second-team All- American as junior. The following season he became the all-time sack leader of the Big Ten, and a member of what was considered the best linebacker group in the USA.
The player was selected in the first round as the third overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 1996 NFL Draft, signing a four-year, $9.5 million contract with the team, which greatly contributed to his wealth. He also went on to earn additional money by playing basketball semi-professionally for the Philadelphia Power of the United States Basketball League.
As a rookie, Rice set a team record with 12.5 sacks, being voted NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press. However, the team went through a rough time in the following seasons, despite which he captured 16.5 sacks in his fourth season with the Cardinals, and so being named to his first Pro-Bowl.
In 2001 Rice joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, signing a five-year, $30 million contract, with his net worth boosted. He went on to make it to the Super Bowl with his new team in 2002, capturing their first Super Bowl victory. The following season was probably his best one, recording 15 sacks, so Rice also made it to the Pro Bowl in both 2002 and 2003 seasons, being named First-team All-Pro in each of them. Although the team didn’t achieve impressive results in the following two seasons, Rice went on to record 12 and 14 sacks, reinforcing his reputation as a valuable player. After suffering an injury in season 2006, he was placed on the injured reserve list, being released by the team later that year.
He went on to briefly play with the Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts in 2007. Over the course of his 12-year career in the NFL, Rice recorded 122 sacks, forced 25 fumbles, recovered eight and intercepted five passes, being a three-time Pro Bowl player and a Super Bowl champion. This enabled him to achieve significant fame, and to earn a sizable fortune.
Aside from the NFL, Rice played for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009, before he retired from his football career.
The same year he decided to pursue his long-time fascination – the film industry. He enrolled at the New York Film Academy and went on to land a range of smaller projects, paving his way to recognition in the entertainment world. He created his first project, a short film entitled “When I Was King”, in 2011. Three years later he created his first major motion picture called “Unsullied”.
Aside from his career as a screenwriter, director and producer, Rice has also been involved in music, owning a Hip-Hop/R&B record label called Lucid Dream Entertainment, so Rice’s involvement in film and music industries has been another source of his wealth.
In his personal life, Rice is very secretive – he is known to have a son, but details of the mother are lacking, as are those about his current relationship/marital status.
