http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/sports/ray-mcdonald-is-released-by-san-francisco-49ers-amid-sexual-assault-investigation.html 2014-12-18 00:48:28 Ray McDonald Is Released by San Francisco 49ers Amid Sexual Assault Investigation The move was in stark contrast to the team’s support of McDonald for weeks after he was arrested Aug. 31 and accused of domestic violence against his fiancée. === The The move, announced by the 49ers in a hasty news conference, was in stark contrast to the team’s support of McDonald for weeks after he was Despite being widely criticized amid the domestic-violence scandal that erupted in the The swift decision to cut McDonald this time underscores the difficulty in consistently determining where to draw a boundary on bad behavior. “While this organization has a strong belief in due process and has demonstrated that over time, Ray has demonstrated a pattern of poor decision-making that has led to multiple distractions for the organization and this football team that really can no longer be tolerated,” 49ers General Manager Trent Baalke said. He declined to say what other behavioral problems McDonald may have had. Last month, McDonald and a teammate broke up a fight at a bar. In May, police were called to his home after reports of a fight with his fiancée. “All of it adds up,” Baalke said. “I’ll leave it at that.” The San Jose, Calif., police said that a woman at a hospital reported the possibility of a sexual assault. The hospital notified the police on Tuesday morning. The woman, who was reportedly not McDonald’s fiancée, said she was “possibly sexually assaulted” on Monday, and a preliminary investigation found McDonald to be the main suspect. Detectives secured a search warrant for McDonald’s home in San Jose, but by Wednesday afternoon, no arrest was made or charges filed. Baalke said that he learned of the investigation at roughly 10:45 or 11 a.m. on Wednesday. He met with Coach Jim Harbaugh and, by phone, the team’s owner, Jed York. At about 11:30 a.m., Baalke said, he told McDonald over the phone that he had been released. “I can say, we’ve had multiple conversations with Ray, over time,” Baalke said. “There’s been things that have been discussed with him, a plan that was put in place, and this was just a situation that has gone against that plan.” “It’s tough,” quarterback Colin Kaepernick said. “He was a good friend to a lot of people on this team. No one around him ever thought bad of him. He was always a good person to everyone around here, so hopefully it’s just a misunderstanding.” McDonald, 30, was a third-round draft choice of the 49ers in 2007. At 6 feet, 4 inches and 275 pounds, he has been a full-time starter on the defensive line since 2011. He started all 14 games this season. JUDGE DISMISSES PAINKILLER SUIT The judge in the case, William Alsup of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, agreed with the league’s argument that the claims in the case should be thrown out because they were covered by the league’s collective bargaining agreement. The league made the same argument in a case brought by about 5,000 former players who claimed the N.F.L. deliberately hid the dangers of concussions from them. But in that case, the two sides settled before the judge could rule on the league’s argument. This is the second case this month in which a judge has ruled against former N.F.L. players. About two weeks ago, a federal judge in Missouri threw out a case against the N.F.L. Players Association brought by former players who said the union should have done more to protect them from the dangers of concussions. In the case involving painkillers, Judge Alsup had asked the players association for help understanding the parameters of the collective bargaining agreement. The union told the judge that the players would not have been able to plead their case to a third-party arbitrator, as the N.F.L. had contended. The former players have until Dec. 30 to amend their claims. They may also sue teams individually.