I’m not sure there can be a major difference between the two men, but I guess every owners stance is different.
San Francisco 49ers owner and CEO Jed York made his first comments on the domestic violence accusations levied against Ray McDonald, and they sound more like an owner trying to hold a battered defense together until his stars return.
During his weekly radio appearance, the Niners owner talked about due process for Ray McDonald, and said that “the 49ers defensive tackle is not Ray Rice whatsoever.”
Ray McDonald is not Ray Rice. And if there’s another one it’s not the same as the previous. That each case is it’s own individual entity. I think as a society we have a sense of saying, ‘Well, you didn’t do it right with Ray Rice right away so you need to overdo it with Ray McDonald or whoever else it is.’
McDonald may not be Rice, but his pregnant girlfriend did somehow manage to obtain scratches and scars to her neck and arms during their late night altercation almost two weeks ago. When he was asked why McDonald was able to play despite the allegations, York again referred back to to the due process of the law.
I think again, I think as a leader you need to make sure that you’re doing what you feel is the right thing. And it’s not always what’s the most popular thing.
And again, I will fall back on, if you want to take shots on my reputation and you want to characterize me in this way for taking this stance, I’m comfortable with that. And I realize there might be people that dissent and I fully acknowledge that and I fully respect that decision.
But for me to look at myself in the mirror and say I’m going to punish somebody, whether it’s not playing them or cutting them or suspending them or whatever that punishment is, before you can go through an entire legal process, an investigation, that’s just… that’s not who I am.