SANTA CLARA—Former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald was arrested on Monday, May 25 on suspicion of domestic violence and child endangerment.
The arrest came after McDonald allegedly attacked a woman that was holding a baby in his Santa Clara home. Initial reports suggest that a violent and intoxicated McDonald broke down a door and assaulted a woman believed to be his girlfriend.
The subsequent 911 call came from the woman’s mother, who stated that her daughter had locked herself in a bedroom with her infant daughter. At this time, it is unknown whether or not the child is also McDonald’s daughter.
When officers responded to McDonald’s apartment on Carlye Court, the defensive end had already left the scene. He was located and arrested at 7:30 a.m. in the San Jose home of the now-retired Justin Smith.
McDonald spent a few hours in jail before posting $15,000 bail Monday afternoon.
Once a highly-touted cog of a dominant Niners front, McDonald was released from the team in December following a history of run-ins with the law.
The troubled, but talented defensive end didn’t struggle to find a new home, signing a free agent contract with the Chicago Bears earlier in the offseason.
It was thought that considering his history, McDonald would be on thin ice with the Bears, suspicions that were proven true when the team released him hours after news of his arrest broke.
“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,” said Chicago General Manager Ryan Pace. “He was not able to meet the standard, and the decision was made to release him.”
McDonald’s former Bears teammate, offensive lineman Kyle Long summed-up his feelings on the decision with the following tweet: “Good riddance.”
