2:24pm: In a news release, Lt. Kurt Clarke said that McDonald was arrested after officers said he “physically assaulted the victim while she was holding a baby,” according to the NBC Bay Area report.
12:01pm: Ray McDonald is in legal trouble for the third time since last summer, according to Damian Trujillo of NBC Bay Area, who reports that Santa Clara police arrested McDonald on charges of domestic violence and child endangerment. McDonald was arrested and accused of domestic violence last August, and faced a sexual assault allegation in December, resulting in his release from the 49ers.
The exact date and nature of McDonald’s latest incident isn’t immediately known, but Trujillo writes that two San Jose police sources confirmed on Monday that they assisted the arresting agency (Santa Clara police) with McDonald’s detention. While the investigation into December’s allegation didn’t immediately result in a charge and was said to be ongoing, it doesn’t appear that this arrest is related to that case.
McDonald signed a one-year contract with the Bears earlier this offseason, with team ownership expressing confidence in the defensive lineman’s character after some initial apprehension. The NFL cleared McDonald of any violation of the league’s personal conduct policy relating to last August’s arrest, but had yet to make a decision on December’s accusation, and the 30-year-old’s latest arrest figures to put him in the league’s crosshairs again.
Whether or not the Santa Clara district attorney’s offices decides to pursue a case against McDonald this time around, the Bears may decide to part ways with the embattled defender. Chicago’s agreement with McDonald is a modest $1.05MM deal that doesn’t include any guaranteed money, so it wouldn’t hurt the team’s cap to cut him, if necessary.