Bears Blitz

Published by Timothy Rapp on May 25, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears defensive end Ray McDonald was arrested for a domestic violence charge on Monday—another in a line of arrests and accusations levied against him.

The Bears have since released McDonald.

Continue for updates.

McDonald’s Mother Claims DE ‘Never Hit’ Alleged Victim

Thursday, May 28

TMZ passed along comments from McDonald’s mother, who maintains her son’s innocence:

Labrina McDonald tells TMZ Sports she and her husband have spoken with Ray since his domestic violence arrest and he says there’s a witness who can prove McDonald never laid a finger on his accuser.

“[Ray’s] personal driver witnessed everything that happened. He never touched her.”

[…]

“Ray is never going to hit a woman. He may say some stuff to piss them off, he may kick them out of his house. But he’d never lay his hands on them. We didn’t raise him that way.”

911 Call That Led to McDonald’s Arrest Released 

Tuesday, May 26

Molly Martinez of KRON 4 provided the 911 phone call from a woman claiming to be the mother of the victim involved in the McDonald domestic violence incident:

McDonald Arrested, Released by Bears

Monday, May 25

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee noted that the Santa Clara Police Department confirmed an earlier report from Damian Trujillo of NBC Bay Area: 

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com shared details of McDonald’s arrest from the Santa Clara Police Department’s release:

Following the news, the Bears were quick to release McDonald, per the team’s Twitter account.

ESPN’s Josina Anderson provided more details and comments from McDonald’s attorney, Steve Defilippis:

Ray McDonald’s attorney, Steve Defilippis, told me via text message that the accuser in the case stemming from McDonald’s arrest Monday morning is McDonald’s former fiance, who was the alleged victim when McDonald was arrested last August. While police investigating the case said McDonald’s fiance at the time showed visible injuries, no charges were filed. Defilippis has indicated he’s still gathering and confirming information on what exactly occurred in this most recent incident at this time. Earlier today Defillipis told me this: “I wish I knew more. All I can tell you is that everybody you talk to that knows Ray (McDonald) tells you that Ray’s not a violent guy, and the accusation that he’s getting violent with this woman, you know it’s the second time that she’s made such an allegation. The first time certainly did not pan out. I’m suspicious of it to begin with here. There’s some issues about custody and about child support. All those things are currently in the process of being worked out. This may be, who knows. I’d be guessing and speculating, but I’ve got suspicions at this point. Knowing Ray, I don’t see him as somebody that would be doing this type of thing.”

Nate Atkins of Chicago Football shared a statement from Bears general manager Ryan Pace, who said: “We believe in second chances, but when we signed Ray we were very clear what our expectations were if he were to remain a Bear. He was not able to meet the standard and the decision was made to release him.”

David Louie of ABC 7 shared McDonald’s mugshot after his arrest:

McDonald’s mother responded to the news, per Trujillo:

McDonald is no stranger to these types of arrests. In August, he was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence, though charges were never filed, per Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. In December, another woman accused him of sexual assault, and police still have not filed charges or cleared him in that case. 

“I had two incidents (in which) I feel like I didn’t do anything wrong, but still it’s in the spotlight,” McDonald told Campbell in late April. “It was in the national spotlight for quite some time. I’m just trying to move forward from it.”

After this latest incident, that may be difficult for McDonald. As Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports tweeted, the NFL has established the parameters for disciplining players even on the basis of multiple accusations: 

McDonald, 30, accumulated 19.5 sacks and 154 tackles in eight seasons with the San Francisco 49ers before being cut in December. He will await any NFL discipline as the legal process plays out. Given McDonald’s history, it’s possible the NFL will act before the authorities. 

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