49er and Ex-49er Charged With Sexually Assaulting the Same Woman

It's been a heckuva summer for the San Francisco 49ers. Young players have unexpectedly retired over head trauma fears and to just "take a year or so" off football. They released troubled linebacker Aldon Smith after yet another arrest. Not even the grass at their brand new stadium is cooperating.

And now come some of the most disturbing allegations yet: that current linebacker Ahmad Brooks and former defensive end Ray McDonald sexually assaulted the same woman in separate incidents at McDonald's home last December.

The Latest Charges

The allegations first surfaced in December after a woman accused McDonald of rape. Details were initially scarce, but the subsequent investigation and competing lawsuits between the alleged victim and McDonald have shed more light on what might have happened. The woman claims she slipped and fell several times at McDonald's house, due to a slippery deck and some level of alcohol consumption, leaving her unconscious.

According to her lawsuit, "while she was unconscious from one of those falls, Brooks groped her in a 'sexual manner.' Then, before she fully regained consciousness, McDonald carried her to his bedroom and had sex with her." Santa Clara prosecutors charged Brooks with sexual battery and a grand jury indicted McDonald on rape charges.

A Litany of Trouble

McDonald was cut by San Francisco as the rape investigation began, but that was hardly his first run-in with the law:

• He was first arrested for domestic violence in August 2014;
• The 49ers refused to suspend or even bench him;
• Prosecutors didn't file charges in that case, but that may be due to the intercession of "a San Jose police sergeant who had done work for the 49ers and who personally went to McDonald's home multiple times that night";
• The 49ers released him after the rape allegations in December 2014, and he was picked up by the Bears, who released him after he was arrested again for domestic violence in May 2015;
• He was arrested for violating a restraining order issued just days prior in the domestic violence incident; and
• He was ultimately charged with felony false imprisonment, misdemeanor domestic violence, child endangerment, and violating a court order in June 2015 based on allegations surrounding his May arrests.

And now this. While neither the 49ers nor the NFL can further punish McDonald, San Francisco and the league have taken a hard line on Brooks -- San Francisco head coach Jim Tomsula said he will rejoin the 49ers and suit up for their season opener Monday night against Adrian Peterson's Minnesota Vikings.

Related Resources:

• 49ers LB Ahmad Brooks Charged With Sexual Battery, Ray McDonald Indicted For Rape (Deadspin)
• 49ers Bathroom Brawl Caught on Video: 2 Arrested, 2 Hospitalized (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)
• 92 Ejected, 29 Arrested, 62 Hurt at 49ers Playoff Game (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)
• 49ers Fan Dies After Fall at Candlestick Park (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)