Damn Ray McDonald, Just Damn

25 May, 2015

The Chicago Bears have released Ray McDonald after the defensive tackle was arrested on Monday for misdemeanor domestic violence and child endangerment charges.

The 30-year-old McDonald, who has been involved in a string of domestic assault incidents, was arrested in Northern California for physically assaulting a woman “while she was holding a baby,” according to a Santa Clara police statement.

McDonald left the residence before police arrived but was later located and arrested in San Jose.

“We believe in second chances, but when we signed Ray we were very clear what our expectations were if he was to remain a Bear,” Chicago General Manager Ryan Pace said in a statement. “He was not able to meet the standard and the decision was made to release him.”

In December, the eight-year National Football League veteran was released by his former team, the San Francisco 49ers, after police said he was a possible suspect in a sexual assault case.

San Jose police said they were investigating the assault of a woman seeking treatment at a hospital and officers determined that McDonald might have been involved in the incident.

The previous month, Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges against McDonald after a 10-week investigation into allegations he assaulted his pregnant fiancée.

With the NFL under fire for bungling cases of domestic abuse by its players, several teams took players accused of domestic violence off the field.

The 49ers, however, allowed McDonald to keep playing during the earlier investigation while the legal process played out.

Two months ago, McDonald signed a one-year deal with the Bears worth $1.5 million after being widely viewed as one of the best 3-4 defensive ends in the game.

Reuters

Image chicago tribune twitter

Mentioned In This Post: