AP

With the exception of Al Pacino in And Justice For All, no lawyer has ever publicly declared his client to be guilty as charged. So it’s no surprise that Steve Defillippis continues to claim that former 49ers and Bears defensive lineman Ray McDonald is a law-abiding citizen.

Via Josina Anderson of ESPN, Defillippis claims that McDonald never received the restraining order he alleged violated on Wednesday, which resulted in McDonald’s second arrest in three days.

“When Ray McDonald was released from jail he was not served with a restraining order,” Defillippis said. “They say there is a restraining order now, but they never served him with it.”

Based on the applicable California law and procedure, it’s possible Defillippis has a point. It’s also possible he’s hiding behind a technicality, claiming McDonald didn’t officially receive a piece of paper containing the language prohibiting him from returning to his ex-fiancée’s residence even if McDonald knew he was banned from going back there.

Regardless of whether a court of law buys the excuse, the NFL surely won’t. If McDonald’s career wasn’t already over after Monday’s arrest, it definitely is after Wednesday’s.