“The organization is aware that a misdemeanor charge has been filed against Ahmad Brooks stemming from a December 2014 matter. We take any charge against a member of this organization seriously and are in communication with the NFL. Ahmad is returning home to California and will not participate in Saturday’s game.”

6:55pm: A district attorney has charged 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks with sexual battery, according to court reporter Tracey Kaplan (on Twitter). Meanwhile, a grand jury has indicted Ray McDonald on rape. McDonald was indicted on one count of rape of an intoxicated person, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee tweets.

Brooks was accused of assault and battery, false imprisonment and infliction of emotional distress by the same alleged victim in the McDonald case. The accusation against Brooks came about following a defamation lawsuit McDonald filed against his accuser in March. At the time, McDonald was a free agent and claimed the woman defamed him and interfered with his livelihood as he struggled to find his next team. In a cross complaint filed in May, she alleges that Brooks “groped her person in a sexual manner” when she was passed out from hitting her head.

Last season, Brooks came to camp out of shape and during the season he was benched twice for off-the-field actions. This year, there was some talk that his legal situation coupled with the presence of young linebackers could put him on the roster bubble. Now that charges have been filed, Brooks’ stay with San Francisco could be coming to an end.

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 an August, but had yet to make a decision on a December sexual assault accusation. When the 30-year-old was arrested yet again in May, the Bears acted swiftly and released him. Not long after that, McDonald was arrested again for violating a restraining order.

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Today, we’re asking PFR readers to weigh in on the top remaining free agents. Excluding talented players with legal troubles like linebacker Brandon Spikes and defensive end Ray McDonald, former Eagles guard Evan Mathis is universally regarded as the best player without a deal at this time. Beyond Mathis, however, there’s hardly a clear cut silver medalist.

Over the weekend, PFR’s Dallas Robinson put together his list of the best available remaining free agents. After Mathis, he ranked tackle Jake Long No. 2, citing the former No. 1 overall pick’s talent level while also acknowledging his frustrating injury history. Tight end Jermaine Gresham, who underwent back surgery in March to repair a herniated disc, comes in at No. 3 thanks to his pass-catching ability and history of solid blocking. One-time fantasy darling James Jones is ranked fourth even though he has yet to put up the kind of numbers that he did with the Packers in 2012. Defensive end Dwight Freeney, 35, has remained productive despite his age and lack of sack totals, and was ranked No. 5. Safety Dawan Landry, guard Rob Sims, defensive lineman Red Bryant, center Chris Myers, and offensive lineman Anthony Collins rounded out the top ten. Honorable mention went to notables such as defensive end Osi Umenyiora, running back Pierre Thomas, safety Bernard Pollard, running back Ahmad Bradshaw, and quarterback Michael Vick.

Long could definitely pay dividends for a team willing to roll the dice on a low-cost deal and one could hardly be slammed for considering him the most intriguing free agent after Mathis. After all, in 2013, Long graded out as the seventh-best tackle in the league with a strong 22.5 overall score, based on Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). However, he has torn his ACL in each of the past two seasons and in 2014, Pro Football Focus ranked him as just the No. 36 tackle out of 84 qualified players. Do you consider someone like Gresham, who was a focal point of the Bengals’ offense for multiple seasons, to be a better buy? Does that mantle belong to Freeney, who graded out as one of the best at his position in terms of pass-rush productivity? Or, would you cast your vote for someone else?

In the comment section below, let us know who you think is the second-best free agent on the board and why. 

“I don’t lose one minute’s sleep or even think about it,” Arians said when asked about where he stands on Washington, who was suspended in 2014 for a drug policy violation and still faces a likely suspension for his domestic violence case. “Until he becomes a Cardinal again, it’s a waste of breath.”

If he is reinstated, however, Arians says that the players want him back in the locker room and he won’t get in the way of that. Here’s more from the NFC West..

• Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson says he’s prepared to play this season without a new deal though he hopes to stay in Seattle for a long time, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets. It’ll be interesting to see how recent deals for Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill and Panthers QB Cam Newton will affect Wilson’s talks with Seattle.
• Fullback Bruce Miller is expected to rejoin the 49ers for their offseason program after pleading no contest Tuesday to misdemeanor disturbing the peace in connection with a March 5 argument with his former fiancée, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee writes. Miller, 27, must attend a 16-week domestic violence counseling course as part of his plea, and he is barred from contact with his ex-fiancee. He is expected to be sentenced in about six months, after he has completed the program.
• Former 49ers and Bears defensive tackle Ray McDonald‘s former fiancee said in court records that McDonald repeatedly attacked her over several months, The Associated Press writes. In the document, the ex-fiancee wrote that McDonald began a pattern of “verbal abuse and controlling behavior” in February 2014 after the couple got engaged and that escalated into “full attacks.”

Defilippis also provided his explanation for what occurred prior to McDonald’s latest arrest.

“Today my investigator contacted her and confirmed that she was in Santa Cruz, and Ray went over to the apartment to meet the investigator to let him in so that he could get photographs of this allegedly broken door, and lo and behold the cops show up and arrest him,” said Defilippis. “He was not served with a restraining order. We confirmed that the young lady was not going to be there. He goes there to meet the investigator for a legitimate purpose and the police show up and arrest him; and knowing these facts the police still have insisted upon keeping him custody…This is pretty much gamesmanship on their part.”

9:28pm: McDonald’s attorney Steve Defilippis tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that he was never aware of any restraining order against his client.

“When Ray McDonald was released from jail he was not served with a restraining order. They say there is a restraining order now, but they never served him with it,” the attorney said.

8:50pm: After Ray McDonald‘s alleged domestic violence incident over the weekend, his attorney went on the offensive to try and cast doubt on the alleged victim’s motives. Now, it sounds like his job just got even more difficult. The defensive end was arrested Wednesday by Santa Clara, California police for violating a restraining order, according to Katie Nelson of the San Jose Mercury News (via Twitter).

McDonald was issued a restraining order following his Memorial Day arrest and it required him to stay away from his ex-fiancée. After this latest violation, it’s not immediately clear if he’ll have the opportunity to post bail like he did on Monday. After he was sprung loose from jail, the Bears wasted little time in ridding him from their roster.

“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. He was not able to meet the standard and the decision was made to release him,” Bears GM Ryan Pace said.

McDonald inked a one-year deal with the Bears earlier this offseason despite his checkered past. Chicago brass went to bat for McDonald against public criticism and concerns, but that vote of confidence has apparently backfired. The defensive end’s season was already in a bit of jeopardy since the league had yet to make a decision on his December incident. Now, given these two incidents within the span of three days, the 30-year-old might not see the gridiron ever again.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), McDonald was the league’s 12th-best 3-4 defensive end in 2014, grading well both against the run and as a pass rusher. Over the last four regular seasons as the 49ers’ starting left defensive end, McDonald racked up 14.5 sacks, 153 tackles, five forced fumbles, and a safety.

• The alleged victim of Ray McDonald‘s domestic violence incident on Monday told 911 that he violently broke through a bedroom door to get to his ex-fiancée and their infant, Robert Salonga of the Mercury News writes. On Monday, McDonald’s attorney intimated that his client was innocent of the charges.
• Bills coach Rex Ryan says he’s in the dark when it comes to Chris Williams‘ absence from team OTAs, as Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News tweets. “I don’t know if he’s going to be planning on coming back or what; I haven’t seen him,” Ryan said.
• NFL owners voted to allow irrevocable trusts to own teams, which will greatly ease estate planning, Daniel Kaplan of Sports Business Journal tweets. Owners also voted to drop the amount a family member of an ownership group must control of the NFL team from 10% to 5% (link). In a third measure, owners voted to increase the amount of debt a team can borrow from $200MM to $250MM, Kaplan tweets.
• The Jets announced that they have hired seven new scouts to work under senior director of college scouting Rex Hogan. In addition to the previously reported hire of Lee Gissendaner, the list also includes former Chiefs scout Dom Green.

• McDonald’s attorney, Steve Defilippis, told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) 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. Defilippis told Anderson that he is still gathering information on what transpired and he strongly indicated that his client might be innocent of the charges.
• Former Bears teammate Kyle Long didn’t mince words on Twitter. “Good riddance,” the offensive guard tweeted.
• The Bears need to be punished for their lackadaisical fact-finding efforts prior to signing McDonald, Nancy Armour of USA Today Sports opines. Armour feels that the Bears should lose a draft pick or two and that GM Ryan Pace and owner George McCaskey should both face suspensions for their decision not to sit down with McDonald’s alleged victim. “An alleged victim, I think – much like anybody else who has a bias in this situation – there’s a certain amount of discounting in what they have to say,” McCaskey said at the time.
• The risk versus reward ratio was not worth it for the Bears to sign McDonald, Dan Pompei of WSCR-AM tweets. McDonald is no Lawrence Taylor, so he was simply not worth the gamble in Pompei’s estimation. Given where it has been, Pompei (link) feels the Bears locker room needed leaders and men who do things the right way.
• The San Jose address at which McDonald was arrested is that of a house that belongs to ex-49ers teammate Justin Smith, according to property records viewed by Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com. Smith has not been implicated in the incident in any way, however.
• Bail has been set at $15K for McDonald at Santa Clara County Jail on misdemeanor domestic violence and child endangerment charges, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter).

“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. He was not able to meet the standard and the decision was made to release him,” GM Ryan Pace said, according to the Bears (on Twitter).

On Monday, McDonald was arrested on charges of domestic violence and child endangerment. This is the third time in about a year that McDonald has found himself in legal trouble. 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.

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.

The accusation against Brooks came about following a defamation lawsuit McDonald filed against his accuser in March. At the time, McDonald was a free agent and claimed the woman defamed him and interfered with his livelihood as he struggled to find his next team. In a cross complaint filed Tuesday, she alleges that Brooks “groped her person in a sexual manner” when she was passed out from hitting her head.

For his part, McDonald, now with the Bears, has maintained the sexual encounter with the woman was consensual. The 49ers dismissed McDonald after police searched his home on Dec. 16th and his agent has claimed that he will not be implicated in the criminal case, though a spokesman with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office says it’s still open. It’s not immediately clear if Brooks is now the focal point of an investigation that was once centered around McDonald.

The alleged victim is represented in the civil lawsuit by prominent attorney Gloria Allred, who has been critical of the NFL’s handling of sexual assault and domestic violence cases.

Back in March, there were whispers that Brooks could be a cap casualty, but GM Trent Baalke made it clear that the player would be back in 2015.

“There has never been an indication from me otherwise,” Baalke said. “While all that was being written, I just sat back and looked at it because it was speculation based on our cap number and the cash flow that we had leading into free agency. A lot of assumptions were made, but wrongly.”

Now, Brooks’ job security with the 49ers is potentially in jeopardy once again.

• When asked about the whereabouts of running back Matt Forte, John Fox replied: “I prefer he’d be here,” according to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter). Forte has been absent from the team’s voluntary workouts and, ostensibly, is looking for a contract extension.
• Bears quarterback Jay Cutler acknowledged that his relationship with former teammate Brandon Marshall wasn’t the best. “We’ve had our ups and downs and back-and-forths,” the quarterback said of the wide receiver (via Jahns on Twitter).
• TE Gator Hoskins, G/C Ronald Patrick, NT Derrick Hopkins, OLB Rakim Cox, S Malcolm Bronson are all tryout players at the Bears’ minicamp, Jahns tweets.

“We have completed that [domestic-violence] investigation. [Special counsel for investigations] Lisa [Friel] and her team completed that investigation [and] did not establish a violation of the personal-conduct policy. We informed the player and the [NFL] Players Association.’’

However, the league continues to investigate an alleged sexual assault that involves McDonald. Again, no charges have been filed in that matter, but the incident did prompt the 49ers to release the 29-year-old in December despite his promising 2014 campaign. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), McDonald was the league’s 12th-best 3-4 defensive end in 2014, grading well both against the run and as a pass rusher.

It is unclear when the second investigation will conclude, though as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk wrote last month, McDonald has announced his intention to sue the woman who accused him of sexual assault.

• Free agent running back Jacquizz Rodgers is visiting the Bears, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Running back is one position where the team certainly doesn’t need a starting lineup upgrade, but Rodgers, a former Falcon, is a versatile back who could be a nice backup for Matt Forte. During his four years in Atlanta, the 25-year-old carried the ball 305 times and added 155 receptions.
• Alan Ball‘s one-year deal with the Bears is worth $3MM, including a $1MM signing bonus and a $1.95MM base salary, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The Panthers’ offer to Ball had a base value of $2MM, so it’s no surprise that the cornerback turned it down in favor of the Bears’ proposal.
• The Bears received some criticism when they signed Ray McDonald, who was the subject of domestic violence allegations last year. However, the team certainly didn’t invest heavily in the defensive lineman. Per Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter links), McDonald’s one-year deal with Chicago is worth $1.05MM, with no guaranteed money. The former Niner can earn up to $1.5MM with incentives.
• Bleacher Report draft guru Matt Miller tweets that he doesn’t think the Bears need to draft a defensive player with the seventh overall pick, suggesting that taking the best player available would be the team’s best move.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two North divisions…

• Rob Brzezinski, the Vikings’ vice president of football operations, met with agent Ben Dogra last night, but Dogra’s client Adrian Peterson didn’t come up in conversation, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter). Dogra also represents free agent corner Terence Newman, whom the Vikes are rumored to be interested in, leading Wolfson to speculate that he was the topic of the meeting.
• As was widely rumored, it was the Browns that offered a first-round pick to the Rams in exchange for Sam Bradford, St. Louis GM Les Snead confirmed to Sal Palantonio of ESPN (Twitter link via John Middlekauf of 95.7 The Game).
• Bears chairman George McCaskey initially told GM Ryan Pace that he could not sign embattled defensive end Ray McDonald, noting that the “pattern” and “frequency” of McDonald’s off-the-field trouble worried him, per Adam Jahns of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter links).
• Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com wonders why former Raven Ray Rice is still a “pariah” in the eyes of the NFL, especially given that players with similar incidents (such as Greg Hardy) have been signed by other clubs.
• Texas A&M-Commerce receiver Ricky Collins has a visit lined up with the Browns, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.

12:55pm: After agreeing to terms with Jarvis Jenkins earlier today, the Bears are poised to bring aboard another free agent defensive lineman, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is signing former 49er Ray McDonald.

McDonald, 30, was released by the Niners prior to the conclusion of the 2014 season due to what general manager Trent Baalke called a “pattern of poor decision-making.” The veteran defensive lineman never faced legal charges, but was the subject of multiple allegations in apparent domestic violence incidents.

The Santa Clara district attorney’s office decided in November not to file charges against McDonald in his first alleged domestic violence case due to insufficient evidence. The 49ers allowed McDonald to continue to play following that earlier incident, citing due process, and the former third-round pick played well — according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), McDonald was the league’s 12th-best 3-4 defensive end in 2014, grading well both against the run and as a pass rusher.

After McDonald’s second incident, during which he was identified as a suspect in a possible sexual assault investigation, the Niners had simply had enough, and made the decision to cut ties with him. According to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter), that investigation is ongoing, though McDonald’s agent has told teams his client will be cleared.

By signing with Chicago, McDonald will reunite with his old defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who made the move from the 49ers to the Bears this offseason. Having played a 4-3 defense last year, the Bears are transitioning to a 3-4 system under Fangio, and are in the process of adding players who will fit that scheme. Both McDonald, who previously played under Fangio, and Jenkins, who played for a 3-4 defense in Washington, fit that bill.

While there’s no doubt that McDonald can make an impact on the field, his off-field issues figure to be a concern for the Bears. The former Florida Gator may not face any charges for last year’s incidents, but the league could still complete its own investigation and decide to suspend him. Presumably, John Fox and the Bears are confident they can keep McDonald out of trouble going forward.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.