Ray McDonald, Defensive End, Accused of Rape and Domestic Assault

Position: Defensive end
Height / Weight: 6'3" / 290 lbs
College: University of Florida
NFL draft: 2007 / Round: 3 / Pick: 97
Career history: San Francisco 49ers (2007–2014), Chicago Bears (2015)

On May 25, 2014, police in San Jose, CA, arrived at Ray McDonald's house following a disturbance call. According to the San Jose Police Department's report, an unnamed couple—later identified as McDonald and his fiancée—at the building were in a fight. The report states that the female subject "became upset, grabbed a firearm (handgun) registered to the male subject, and held it at her side." She later fled the house after the male subject told her he was going to call 911. No charges were brought.

On August 31, 2014, police were dispatched to McDonald's house after his pregnant fiancée claimed McDonald had assaulted her. According to a memo from the Santa Clara Office of the District Attorney, the female subject had visible injuries, including on her arm and neck, and McDonald was subsequently arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence after officers found him to be the dominant aggressor. Santa Clara's District Attorney did not file charges, citing lack of verifiable eye witnesses, "conflicting accounts," the "seemingly minor nature" of the alleged victim's injuries, and the alleged victim's refusal to participate in the investigation.

According to a police report obtained by Broadly, on May 25, 2015, McDonald was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence and child endangerment. Santa Clara police said that McDonald allegedly broke into his ex-fiancée's bedroom and assaulted her while she held their infant child. The alleged victim was issued an emergency restraining order.

After being arrested and released on bail, McDonald was subsequently arrested again two days later, after he was found in the alleged victim's home, violating the terms of his restraining order. According to a statement from the Santa Clara Office of the District Attorney, McDonald was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence, felony false imprisonment, child endangerment, and violating a court order.

According to another statement from the district attorney's office, on August 26, 2015, McDonald was indicted by a grand jury for violating the aforementioned restraining order. The grand jury declined to indict McDonald for the other charges stemming from incidents on May 25 and May 27.

The alleged victim claimed in court filings that McDonald had exhibited a pattern of "verbal abuse and controlling behavior," which escalated over time into frequent incidences of domestic violence. In the application for a restraining order, she alleged that he had "frequently attacked her," and referred to the August 31, 2014 incident, in which she claimed that McDonald "choked me, dragged and tried to remove me from the house and put his knee in my stomach when I was ten weeks pregnant."

On August 26, 2015, McDonald was indicted by a grand jury for one count of rape of an intoxicated person for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at his home on December 14, 2014. According to a search warrant related to the case, the alleged victim says she slipped and fell by McDonald's pool while drinking with McDonald and some friends at McDonald's home. She hit her head and did not remember the rest of the night. The next morning, she woke up naked next to McDonald; McDonald told her she had been "just tired so he let her sleep in his bed." They spent the day together. Several times, the alleged victim asked McDonald what had happened the night before. Eventually, McDonald revealed that they had had sex and that he had lied about it because "he didn't want to get accused of something crazy like rape." The alleged victim stated she did not consent to having sex with McDonald. In a text message conversation that took place on December 16, 2014, McDonald revealed he had not used a condom during the alleged rape.

On December 17, 2014, following media reports that McDonald was under investigation for a possible sexual assault, the San Francisco 49ers terminated his contract, citing a "pattern of poor decision-making."

On March 16, 2015, McDonald stated his intention of suing the alleged victim for defamation to "return his good name." The subsequent defamation lawsuit was dismissed.

On March 24, 2015, McDonald signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears. In an interview, George McCaskey, chairman of the Bears, justified his signing of McDonald by saying, "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. But our personnel department had done its work looking into the background and the incidents."

On May 25, 2015, McDonald was released from the Bears after he was arrested and charged with domestic violence and child endangerment.

On September 25, 2015, McDonald pleaded not guilty to the rape charge.

McDonald did not return Broadly's request for comment.