San Francisco 49ers Linebacker Ahmad Brooks Indicted For Sexual Battery
If National Football League bigwigs had any hopes of enjoying a trouble free season this year, San Francisco 49ers Linebacker Ahmad Brooks and his former teammate Ray McDonald appear to have dashed those hopes right out of the gate. According to NBC Sports, both men have been indicted by a California grand jury on charges stemming from an event that allegedly occurred at McDonald’s house in December 2013. Brooks and McDonald allegedly victimized a female guest who attended a house party hosted by McDonald.
A civil lawsuit has also been filed regarding the incident. ESPN provided a summary of the alleged offenses in an online report, noting that the victim intitially reported falling on a pool deck. McDonald, who apparently feared the woman was seriously injured, reportedly told other people at the residence not to call 911, as he did not want a dead female found on this property. The suit alleges that at some point, Ahmad Brooks groped the victim “before McDonald carried her upstairs to his bedroom and sexually assaulted her.”
Ahmad Brooks, who has started for the 49ers for the past four years and played in preseason games this year, is currently charged with sexual battery. San Jose Mercury News reports that Brooks could face up to six months in jail if convicted. Although he was slated for participation in preseason games, the San Francisco 49ers have barred him from this Saturday’s game against the Denver Broncos. Trent Baalke, General Manager for the 49ers, addressed the mater through a statement.
“We take any charge against a member of this organization seriously and are in communication with the NFL. Ahmad is returning home to California and will not participate in Saturday’s game.”
Former San Francisco 49ers Defensive End Ray McDonald is charged with a felony charge of rape. McDonald, who faces up to eight years in prison if convicted, was cut from the team shortly after the rape allegations surfaced last year. The aforementioned charge is not the only legal headache for McDonald, who was arrested twice in one week earlier this year for separate allegations of domestic violence. He was also arrested in late 2014 and charged with arresting his pregnant fiancée. The San Francisco 49ers faced widespread criticism at the time for allowing McDonald to continue to play, as his arrest occurred shortly following the release of Ray Rice by the Baltimore Ravens due to a highly publicized incident of domestic violence.
While Ray McDonald is scheduled for arraignment on September 25, no arraignment date has been set for Ahmad Brooks. The San Francisco 49ers player is expected to turn himself in to authorities for processing and a determination regarding bond in the near future.
[Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images]
