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 The 30-year-old McDonald, who has been involved in a string of
domestic assault incidents, was arrested in Northern California for
physically assaulting a woman "while she was holding a baby,"
according to a Santa Clara police statement.
McDonald left the residence before police arrived but was later
located and arrested in San Jose.
"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,"
Chicago General Manager Ryan Pace said in a statement. "He was not
able to meet the standard and the decision was made to release him."
In December, the eight-year National Football League veteran was
released by his former team, the San Francisco 49ers, after police
said he was a possible suspect in a sexual assault case.
San Jose police said they were investigating the assault of a woman
seeking treatment at a hospital and officers determined that
McDonald might have been involved in the incident.
The previous month, Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office
declined to file charges against McDonald after a 10-week
investigation into allegations he assaulted his pregnant fiancée.
With the NFL under fire for bungling cases of domestic abuse by its
players, several teams took players accused of domestic violence off
the field.
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The 49ers, however, allowed McDonald to keep playing during the
earlier investigation while the legal process played out.
Two months ago, McDonald signed a one-year deal with the Bears worth
$1.5 million after being widely viewed as one of the best 3-4
defensive ends in the game.
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank
Pingue)
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