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Report: Ray McDonald Unlikely to be Charged with Domestic Violence

According to a report from San Jose Mercury News court reporter Tracey Kaplan, San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald is unlikely to be charged in relation to an arrest on suspicion of domestic violence that allegedly took place back in August.

Santa Clara County prosecutors are leaning against charging San Francisco 49er Ray McDonald with domestic violence in connection with his widely publicized arrest on suspicion of roughing up his pregnant fiancee, sources familiar with the case said Thursday.

Prosecutors in this case have cancelled two dates for an arraignment hearing, which seemed to indicate that McDonald wasn’t going to face chargest in the incident.

Previous reports in this case suggested that authorities were called to McDonald’s house to investigate a female subject (presumably McDonald’s fiancee) for pulling a gun on a male subject (presumably McDonald) earlier this year. In addition to that the San Jose Police Department has drawn criticism for allowing officers to work security for the 49ers as moonlight gigs.

This came on the heels of the district attorney’s office failing to press charges against Ahmad Brooks stemming from an alleged assault against a former teammate. It also comes on the heels of the DA’s office charging Aldon Smith with various crimes earlier this year, including drunk driving and possession of illegal assault rifles.

This case has been newsworthy around the National Football League due to the ongoing domestic violence issue the league has been up against since the Ray Rice scandal earlier this year.

The 49ers had previously taken an unpopular stance that McDonald would be active until/if charges were filed or they had information that he committed a crime. This decision was met with widespread criticism from local and national media. McDonald has suited up for all of San Francisco’s seven games thus far this season.

While it’s now likely McDonald will not be charged, it just means that the DA’s office did not have sufficient evidence to bring charges against the veteran defensive lineman. This will give those who have criticized the 49ers for their stance in favor of due process a scapegoat moving forward.

And in reality, the due process issue is something that both the NFL and the National Football League Players Association will be arguing as they come up with a comprehensive overhaul of the league’s personal conduct policy. It’s also something that NFLPA head honcho DeMaurice Smith indicated would have to be a part of the new policy.

At a time when the court of public opinion seems to be convicting football players before they are even formally charged with a crime, this McDonald case could very well act as a precursor to a stronger stance by the players association as it relates to due process.

Photo: USA Today

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