49ers defensive end Ray McDonald, due in court on Monday in connection with domestic violence allegations, no longer is due in court on Monday.
Via ESPN.com, the Santa Clara County district attorney announced on Friday (via Twitter, of course) that the hearing has been canceled as the investigation continues.
The court date will not be rescheduled “unless or until charges are filed.”
The 49ers have continued to allow McDonald to play, citing the same notions of “due process” that ultimately were not honored in connection with Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (who faces child abuse charges) and Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy (who was found guilty of domestic violence via a preliminary trial in July, who played in Week One, and who was then yanked from the field as of Week Two). Through it all, the NFL has not provided to the public an explanation of the distinctions between the cases, which results in a potential perception of inconsistency -- and definitely a lack of transparency.
Multiple reports have indicated that the 49ers believe McDonald is innocent. That’s fine, but in situations like this the ultimate decision shouldn’t be left to the team, because the team has an inherent bias to resolve the situation in a way that allows the player to keep on playing.
Unless the player resides near the bottom of the roster. If that were the case, the 49ers would have cut McDonald several weeks ago.
