NFL defensive end Ray McDonald on Thursday was formally charged with domestic violence stemming from an incident in which he allegedly attacked his ex-fiancee back in May.
McDonald, who signed with the Chicago Bears earlier this offseason but was promptly released after his latest arrest, is facing charges of felony false imprisonment, misdemeanor domestic violence, child endangerment and violating a protective order.
“It is unconscionable and illegal for any woman to be trapped whether it be behind a dining room table or in a relationship filled with fear and violence,” prosecutor James Demertzis told a court in Santa Clara, via Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle.
McDonald was scheduled to be arraigned in court on Thursday afternoon. If convicted, he would face up to three years in prison.
McDonald, who played eight seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, has been in trouble with the law multiple times in the past year. In the latest incident, he has been accused of breaking down a door and assaulting the mother of his child while she was holding the former couple’s baby.
The woman McDonald allegedly assaulted in May is the same woman who accused him of domestic violence last August, when she was pregnant and still engaged to the former San Francisco 49ers lineman. No charges were filed and McDonald was later cleared by the NFL in that incident.
McDonald was also investigated for an alleged sexual assault back in December.
