After taking a risk by signing Ray McDonald in the offseason, the Chicago Bears have released the troubled defensive end after he was arrested for domestic assault and child endangerment on Monday.
The charges stem from a Monday investigation, where McDonald allegedly assaulted his ex-fiancée, who was also holding the player’s child, according to ESPN’s sources.
McDonald was released by the San Francisco 49ers during the 2014 season after two off-the-field incidents, which 49ers GM Trent Baalke called a “pattern of poor behavior.”
First, he was arrested for domestic assault before the season started, but because of conflicting reports charges were not pursued. Later, he was accused of sexual assault, which resulted in his release from the 49ers: again, charges were not filed and McDonald recently announced a defamation lawsuit against the woman.
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So when the Bears brought up the prospect of signing the troubled player, chairman George McCaskey was initially hesitant. But after support from new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who McDonald played under in San Francisco, and a meeting with the player, McCaskey allowed the Bears to sign him to a one-year $1.05 million deal with no guaranteed money.
“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,” GM Ryan Pace said in a statement. “He was not able to meet the standard and the decision was made to release him.”
At the same time, McDonald’s lawyer feels that the Bears’ decision is extremely reactionary and unwarranted because not all the facts have come to light. “The bottom line is I think Chicago is moving too fast on this,” McDonald’s attorney Steve Defilippis told ESPN’s Josina Anderson. “They have absolutely no information at this point. They should be waiting to hear what the real facts are.”
Either way, this is McDonald’s third run in with the law in less than a year, which leads to the very real possibility that his NFL career is over.
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