49ers Make Right Move for Team and NFL by Releasing DE Ray McDonald

There's a sea change underway in the National Football League.

The league is completely transforming how it handles allegations of assault and domestic violence against its players. There's a new personal conduct policy that includes much harsher punishments for such offenses.

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson saw his 2014 season wiped out after pleading guilty to assaulting his son. The Baltimore Ravens released Ray Rice after the sickening video surfaced of the running back punching his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City casino elevator.

The San Francisco 49ers caught some flak for not adopting a similar hard-line stance when defensive end Ray McDonald was accused of domestic violence earlier this year.

Those charges were eventually dropped, but with McDonald once again the focus of a police investigation, the 49ers are making the only move they can:Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area was among the first to report that the 49ers were severing ties with the eighth-year veteran, who has 39 tackles and three sacks this year:

As ESPN reported, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke released a statement. "This is about a pattern of poor behavior," Baalke said. "We expect a lot from our players, hold them accountable for their actions."

Frankly, McDonald didn't leave the 49ers much choice in the matter. As ABC 7 News reported, San Jose police served a search warrant at McDonald's home Wednesday after the 30-year-old was accused of sexually assaulting a woman earlier this week:


Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2303330-49ers-make-right-move-for-team-and-nfl-by-releasing-de-ray-mcdonald