The on-going saga of former San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Ray McDonald continues. The Santa Clara District Attorney's office has filed multiple charges against McDonald in connection with his arrest on May 25. The DA has charged McDonald with misdemeanor domestic violence, felony false imprisonment, child endangerment, and violating a court order to stay away from the victim. According to Eric Branch, if convicted, McDonald faces up to three years in prison.
McDonald was arrested after being accused of physically assaulting the victim while she held a baby. McDonald allegedly broke through a door on the night question. False imprisonment is described as the unlawful violation of the personal liberty of another. This charge can arise in a situation where a person grabs hold of another person during a domestic violence situation, and refuses to let go. Choosing to let go a short time later does not negate the previous false imprisonment.
McDonald was released by the 49ers back in December, and later signed with the Chicago Bears in the offseason. The Bears released McDonald shortly after his May 25 arrest. The Bears had gotten some heat for signing McDonald, and they did not help matters when owner George McCaskey said there needed to be some discounting of an alleged victim's comments because of certain biases. Considering McDonald had his own biases in the situation, McCaskey's comments were completely absurd.
Naturally, many have moved on from that, but it shows how little some in the NFL care about players actually behaving themselves. The more talented a player is, the more chances they get after screw-ups. McDonald was arrested for domestic violence last summer, and is also dealing with a sexual assault civil suit that could eventually be followed by criminal charges. Even if he does not do any jail time for any of this, the odds of him getting back in the NFL are somewhere between slim and none.