Bears release former 49er Ray McDonald after domestic violence arrest

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald has been arrested on domestic violence and child endangerment charges. The arrest took place at 7 a.m. Monday in San Jose and the alleged incidents took place in Santa Clara.

In December, the San Jose Police Department began investigating McDonald for suspicion of sexual assault. That case remains open. San Francisco released McDonald in December because of what 49ers general manager Trent Baalke called a "pattern of poor behavior."

Police arrested McDonald last August for suspicion of domestic violence. The Santa Clara County district attorney's office later declined to file charges, however, following a lengthy investigation. The NFL also announced that McDonald would not be subject to league punishment for the August incident.

Chicago signed the 30-year-old McDonald to a one-year, $1.05 million contract with no guaranteed money in the deal. In a statement Monday, the team announced that they'd released him.

"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," General Manager Ryan Pace said. "He was not able to meet the standard and the decision was made to release him."