Bears chairman expresses sadness, regret over Ray McDonald's arrest
Chicago Bears chairman George McCaskey expressed regret Wednesday over the way the Ray McDonald signing unfolded, but believes the team has the right system in place to deal with players with character concerns.
McDonald was released by the Bears on Monday after being arrested in California on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence and child endangerment.
"The overriding emotion for me was sadness," McCaskey said of his initial reaction to McDonald's arrest. "Sadness for the child, for the child's mother and for the entire situation. Domestic violence is a vexing social problem. The NFL has had some high-profile cases, including this one.
"And the NFL - because it's a leader in society - is called upon to take action, which we are doing. We're not going to do it by ourselves but I think we have an opportunity to make an impact."
McDonald's latest arrest follows a pattern of similar behavior. He was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in August 2014 after a pregnant woman alleged he had beaten her. No charges were filed.
In December, another woman accused McDonald of sexually assaulting her while she was passed out, prompting the San Francisco 49ers to release him. Police said McDonald won't be charged in that case.
McCaskey admitted he now wonders if there was more he could have done before signing McDonald to a one-year deal.
"I've asked myself that question a lot: 'What more could I have done? Is there somebody else we could have consulted with? Should I have taken more time to make a decision?' I don't know," he said. "We thought we had a good structure, a good support system. We thought we had safeguards in place in case something like this happened."
Asked whether the McDonald situation will change the way the Bears pursue potential free agents with character concerns in the future, McCaskey replied: "Well one positive - if that's a word that can be used - to come out of this is that the process that we've set up has been reinforced and, in the end, worked.
"As I said, we had safeguards in place. (General manager) Ryan (Pace) came to me for permission. So we have the reinforcement of that process. I just need to make a better decision."