SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh insisted Monday that public pressure will not sway his decision to play Ray McDonald during an investigation into the defensive lineman’s arrest on suspicion of domestic violence.

Harbaugh said there “could be” a resolution in the case this week for McDonald, arrested at his home Aug. 31 while celebrating his 30th birthday with teammates and friends.

“I know there’s an investigation going on that’s continuing today,” Harbaugh said.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera on Sunday benched defensive end Greg Hardy for the team’s 24-7 win over Detroit after he was active in Week 1. Hardy was convicted July 15 of assault on a female and communicating threats. He is appealing.

McDonald has played and started both games so far for San Francisco (1-1).

Harbaugh said the 49ers didn’t compare the McDonald and Hardy situations.

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom called for McDonald’s benching before the game. This after San Francisco suspended veteran play-by-play man Ted Robinson last week for two games after he made comments on the radio about the Ray Rice case that were deemed inappropriate.

“There’s a lot of public speculation, and people weighing in with their opinion, whether it’s a public figure or people through social media,” Harbaugh said. “Our response would be, we have two principles at play here. One is respect for due process, and we’re not going to flinch based on public speculation.”