Sam McDowell: There's still some unknown about the Rashee Rice crash. But the known is inexcusable.

Rice is a 23-year-old adult, and I’ve heard it noted that many of us did not make the best life decisions in our early 20s. That’s surely true. But Rice’s actions carelessly endangered the livelihoods of people whose only mistake was driving down a Dallas highway at the wrong time of day.

Can we at least acknowledge there are different levels of bad decisions? To chalk this up as something any of us might have done is to trivialize just how serious the consequences could have been.

“By the grace of God, somebody could’ve been injured. I mean, seriously injured,” West said, though anyone who has watched the apparent footage didn’t need to be told that. “(Rice) understands that. He appreciates it.”

Rice, West added, will do “everything in his power to bring their (lives) back to as normal as possible — in terms of injuries, in terms of property damages. He’ll make sure that he is responsible for helping them get through that particular part of this. Don’t get me wrong — we understand that no one can ever ... help them get over the memories of being in an accident.”

It’s another admission, if less directly, that Rice is at fault. To be candid, this is a refreshing departure, even if we have to set aside the strategy of it to make room for that thought. It is taking at least some level of responsibility — the responsibility Rice left behind last Saturday.

This will be a costly mistake for the men behind the wheels of the two vehicles, and for a budding star wide receiver in particular.

Legally.

Financially.

Professionally.

West begged the media in attendance in Dallas — a streaming video was made available for wider consumption back here in Kansas City — not to judge Rice based on a mistake that became national news. That will be up to each of you.

And up to Rice’s future response, too.