A week after being arrested on domestic violence charges, San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Ray McDonald will play against the Dallas Cowboys in their season opener on Sunday.
Jim Harbaugh says Ray McDonald will play Sunday.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) September 5, 2014
McDonald has yet to be charged in the incident, which likely played a role in the 49ers decision.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh took part in a heated Q&A session with local media earlier this week, at which point it became apparent that San Francisco planned on playing McDonald.
As much as some might wanto to criticize Harbaugh’s decision, this is likely the best move the 49ers could have made. If they decided to sit McDonald out prior to the veteran even appearing in court, it would be seen as the team admitting he was guilty of something.
McDonald was arrested this past Sunday at his 30th birthday party. Reports since the incident indicate that the alleged victim in this case was pregnant and had bruising on her neck and arms.
While it’s easy to jump to conclusions here, both the 49ers and the NFL have indicated they will let the legal process play out before making a decision on McDonald’s future.
On the heels of the NFL’s decision to toughen its policy on domestic violence, both the team and the league are under scrutiny to do something. But this doesn’t mean that a snap judgement should be made in a case as serious as this.
Photo: CTpost.com