House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who represents San Francisco, said 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald should not play while he’s being investigated for allegedly hitting his pregnant fiancée.
The Democrat was asked at her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill if McDonald should have been allowed to play in Sunday’s game against the Bears.
“No,” she said.
“Now, our coach says, you know, innocent until proven guilty, due process, all of that. But the fact is, he shouldn’t have played.”
She said the issue of domestic violence is “something that we’ve all been working on for a long time,” invoking the Violence Against Women Act, which recently enjoyed its 20th anniversary.
Pelosi was also asked if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should resign amid indications that the league may have known about Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice assaulting his wife in an elevator.
“It’s all about respect and disrespect for women,” she said. “I think it’s appropriate to have an investigation of who knew what and when.”
Clarification: This article has been updated to note that it was McDonald’s fiancée, not wife, whom he allegedly assaulted.
