Bears release Ray McDonald after new arrest on domestic violence charges

The Bears' career of troubled defensive lineman Ray McDonald ended before it began.

For the third time in nine months, McDonald was arrested, this time on domestic violence and child endangerment charges at 7 a.m. Monday in San Jose, California. Hours later the Bears took the same action the San Francisco 49ers did in December - they released McDonald rather than deal with a deplorable pattern of behavior.

"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," said Bears General Manager Ryan Pace, who gambled that McDonald could change his ways but lost. "He was not able to meet the standard and the decision was made to release him."

According to the report by the Santa Clara Police Department, McDonald was arrested for physically assaulting the victim while she was holding a baby. After the alleged assault at McDonald's home in Santa Clara, he left the residence and was found at the home of former 49ers teammate Justin Smith in San Jose.

McDonald, 30, was a risky signing to begin with, and his latest transgression may make him too toxic for any NFL team to touch. He could also be subject to an NFL-mandated suspension.

McDonald signed a one-year, $1.05 million deal with the Bears on March 24 that included an additional $450,000 in possible incentives but no guaranteed money. So his signing costs the Bears nothing but credibility.

The Bears took a chance on McDonald three months after he was released by the 49ers following his second arrest in four months. The 49ers cited McDonald's "pattern of poor decision-making," as the reason for parting ways with the eight-year veteran.

That December arrest was the result of an alleged sexual assault. McDonald has not been charged in that case, although both parties have initiated legal proceedings. Last August, McDonald was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence, but he was not charged in that case either.

When he first spoke to Chicago media after the opening practice of the voluntary minicamp at the end of April, McDonald was asked if he considered it fair for people to question his character.

"No, I don't think it's right," he said. "I don't think it's fair. When you can look on TV and see all this negative stuff said about somebody, and people can put stuff out there that's not very credible, and it can assassinate someone's character. But when you actually get a chance to meet someone and hear their side of the story, you get to get it for what it really is."

McDonald was brought in to give the Bears an experienced, veteran presence at defensive end as they transition from their former 4-3 alignment into a 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Pace signed McDonald partly on the recommendation of Fangio, who coached the 6-foot-3, 290-pounder for the previous four years with the 49ers.

Now McDonald has betrayed that trust.

"I'd been around him for four years, so I knew what kind of guy he was on a daily basis," Fangio said during the Bears' rookie minicamp earlier this month. "Nobody gets to know players and players get to know coaches more than when you're in football because we're with those guys eight, nine hours a day, and in training camp more.

"I know who he is. It's been well reported about the process that we went through here in deciding whether to sign him. At that point where it was said we weren't going to pursue it, I called two other teams in the league to recommend that they sign Ray. And I called Ray's agent to tell him, hey, if you need any character reference, anybody wants to talk to me about Ray, that they might be interested in signing him, have them feel free to call me. I think that tells you what I feel about him."

Bears chairman George McCaskey had originally quashed the idea of pursuing McDonald because of his sketchy past. But after the former third-round pick paid his way to fly to Chicago and pleaded his case with McCaskey, the Bears reversed field.

"I would say that the strongest thing was his candor, his forthrightness and his motivation," McCaskey said, regarding his face-to-face meeting with McDonald. "I made it clear to him what was expected of him if he were to become a Bear. I was confident at the end of that conversation that he'll do what needs to be done."

Pace was confident as well on the day of McDonald's signing, but it became an embarrassing mark against his credibility.

"We came out of that meeting and discussed it further and further," said Pace, who felt the Bears had done their due diligence on the previous incidents. "Those things we've looked into," he said. "We wouldn't be where we're at right now if we didn't feel comfortable with where that's at. So it's been thorough."

McDonald signed the one-year, "make-good" deal and, at least on the field, seemed to be an ideal fit for the Bears as they transitioned to the new defense but lacked the personnel at defensive end for the 3-4 alignment. McDonald had been a solid run stopper at left end in the 49ers' 3-4 defense, and he has 19 1/2 career sacks.

"He brings toughness and good play," Fangio said. "He's an equally good player against the run and pass. He's a guy that can play every down. He's not just a run specialist or a pass specialist. He's a good, solid player in all areas."

But even Fangio seemed to realize that McDonald brought with him some unwanted baggage.

"It's unsettling," Fangio said of the arrests that got him chucked in San Francisco. "He put himself in some situations that he didn't need to be in. But the fact of the matter is he was never charged with anything. The headlines, I think, looked worse than what actually happened, but they happened.

"He made a mistake putting himself in those positions for that to happen. But ultimately he was not charged with anything. So we felt good about it here."

It's safe to say the Bears no longer feel that way after McDonald put himself in another untenable position, even though he was fully aware that he couldn't afford another misstep.

"I had two incidents where I feel like I didn't do anything wrong," he said late last month. "But still it's in the spotlight. It was in the national spotlight for quite some time. I'm just trying to move forward from it. I'm a Bear now, and I'm here to try to help this team win football games."

It won't happen here, and McDonald could well be out of second chances anywhere in the NFL.

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