49ers release DE Ray McDonald amid sexual assault allegations

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald was spared once this season, but now that he is the focus of a second police investigation, the team has released him.

CSN Bay Area was the first to report that the Niners were cutting ties with the veteran just hours after he was named a suspect in an alleged sexual assault.

ESPN noted that San Jose Police Department Sgt. Heather Randol said he was informed that an adult female was seeking treatment at a hospital Tuesday evening for a possible sexual assault. The initial investigation revealed McDonald as a suspect.

“Based on preliminary investigation, detectives secured a search warrant and served it at the alleged suspect's residence in San Jose," said Randol.

Although at this point no arrests have been made and no charges have been filed, the team said the defensive player’s bad behavior is what got him cut.

"This is about a pattern of poor behavior," 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said Wednesday. "We expect a lot from our players, hold them accountable for their actions."

In August, the 30-year-old was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence and two years prior to that, he was arrested for drunk driving. In light of the negative publicity the NFL received this season over its handling of abuse cases, McDonald’s negative publicity became too much and team had no choice but to release him.

WordPress › Error

There has been a critical error on your website.

Learn more about debugging in WordPress.