McDonald was arrested Aug. 31 on suspicion of domestic violence. He was accused of hitting his pregnant fiance. He has not been charged and has started both of the 49ers' games. Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Hall of Famer Jerry Rice wants to see the San Francisco 49ers bench defensive lineman Ray McDonald while the criminal investigation of his arrest for domestic violence continues.
Rice joins his former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Steve Young, who offered the same opinion on ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” last week.
McDonald was arrested Aug. 31 on suspicion of domestic violence. He was accused of hitting his pregnant fiance. He has not been charged and has started both of the 49ers’ games.
“I would have totally just taken him off the field until it was resolved,” Rice told Sports Illustrated on Thursday, “but they have decided to let him play, and it’s just unfortunate. But I feel when you have something that’s weighing you down like that, and because it’s a very important topic and it’s very sensitive, I just feel he should have been taken off the field.”
The 49ers have maintained their stance that they will let due process play out. California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have called for the team to deactivate McDonald.
“You’ve seen there’s been a lot of public speculation and people weighing in with their opinion, whether it’s a public figure or people through social media,” coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday. “Our response would be, we have two principles at play here. One is respect for due process, and we’re not going to flinch based on public speculation.”
San Jose police continue their investigation before sending their findings to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office for consideration of charges.
Details emerged Thursday from an incident that took place at the home of McDonald three months before he was arrested.
Police went to McDonald’s San Jose residence after a 911 call on May 5 to investigate a disturbance that involved an argument between an engaged couple that resulted in the woman grabbing the man’s gun and holding it at her side. No one was arrested.
The report, made available to the media by the San Jose police, did not name the man and woman, but the address was the same as where McDonald and his fiance live.
According to the report, the two “were in an argument when the female subject became upset, grabbed a firearm (handgun) registered to the male subject, and held it at her side. When the male subject informed the female subject that he was going to call 911, the female subject put the firearm away and fled without incident. The female subject did not make any threats or point the firearm at the male subject.”
On Aug. 31, officers responded to a call from the same home and found a woman with “visible injuries.” McDonald was taken into custody and booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of felony domestic assault. He later released on bail without being charged.
McDonald has defended himself, saying the arrest was unjust.
