The San Francisco 49ers dumped veteran defensive tackle Ray McDonald on Wednesday after police confirmed he was the focus of a sexual assault investigation, the latest to hit the NFL.
The NFL team's general manager Trent Baalke said the 49ers notified McDonald and his agent that his contract was terminated.
"Ray has demonstrated a pattern of poor decision-making that is no longer going to be tolerated," Baalke said in a statement.
The team had stood by McDonald after he was arrested in August on charges of domestic violence, which were dropped on November 10 due to insufficient evidence.
Despite criticism, the 49ers allowed McDonald to continue playing during that investigation.
Police in San Jose, California, said officers responded to a call on Tuesday from a local hospital regarding a possible sexual assault victim who was receiving treatment and who said she was assaulted the previous day.
After a preliminary investigation revealed McDonald as a suspect, police served a search warrant on the player's San Jose home.
Police said McDonald has not been arrested and the investigation is ongoing.
A law-enforcement source told the San Jose Mercury News the alleged victim in the sexual assault investigation is not McDonald's fiancee, who was the reporting party in the earlier domestic violence case.
McDonald, who has spent all eight of his pro seasons with San Francisco, compiled 39 tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble over 14 starts for the 49ers this season.
He signed a five-year contract with the team in 2011.
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