San Francisco 49ers have announced that troubled defensive player Ray McDonald will be allowed to play for the rest of the season.
This decision follows a public scandal last month when McDonald was arrested for assaulting his pregnant fiancée.
Despite the ongoing investigation, the player has been fielded for the team's first two games of the season. Some sports commentators have warned that the 49ers may regret not suspending McDonald - just like the Ravens with Ray Rice.
But 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh has revealed that the team is respecting the legal procedure and will not be influenced by public opinion on McDonald's case.
Earlier in the week, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom lambasted the decision of the 49ers to continue to play McDonald while an investigation is still ongoing into the incident that occurred at his home.
The former mayor of San Francisco described it as "a painful affront to every victim of domestic violence and sends a troubling message to our community and especially our children that 'zero tolerance' are empty words, not real life actions." The NFL has come under a barrage of criticisms in the wake of several domestic violence cases involving top players.
So far, Rice seems to have been the only player that the NFL has taken any disciplinary action against.
On Tuesday, the Minnesota Vikings announced that Adrian Peterson has been reactivated from suspension after he was charged with assaulting his 4-years old son last week. Shortly afterwards, one of the Vikings' key sponsors - Radisson - announced that it is effectively cutting ties with the team. Reports indicate that the team has since retracted its decision.
A statement from the Vikings on Wednesday explains that based on the advice of the NFL, the team has decided to "place Adrian on the Exempt/Commissioner's Permission list, which will require that Adrian remain away from all team activities while allowing him to take care of his personal situation until the legal proceedings are resolved."
