The report suggested the victim had “visible swelling on one side of his face,” but Tom Pelissero of NFL Media has now reported that the man has signed an affidavit withdrawing the report.

The complainant is now said to have dubbed the incident a ‘misunderstanding’, and he wants the charges dropped.

In the meantime, Rice has joined the Chiefs for their OTAs, which began on Monday, but question marks still hang over his future. The wide receiver still faces eight charges over his involvement in a high-speed car crash in Dallas earlier this year.

The NFL are likely to wait until legal proceedings conclude before deciding whether to suspend Rice under the personal conduct policy.

Andy Reid’s response

Speaking last month, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was keen to leave any judgment to the court system. He said: “I’m leaving that, like we’ve done most of these, for the law enforcement part to take place and then we will go from there with that.”

Rice had been involved in the early stages of preparations for the new season via remote working, but the OTAs started this week, and he was present in physical form.

The NFL usually waits until the conclusion of criminal proceedings before deciding on any suspension, but they may be forced into a decision if the conclusion of those proceedings don’t come before the start of the new season in September.