NFL star Chris McAlister is at the center of a nasty legal war with his wife -- who claims Chris kicked her out of their home when she refused to get an abortion.

Marlene McAlister has just filed court documents to end her 13 month marriage to the former Pro Bowler -- claiming she hasn't seen or heard from the guy since September 2009 ... 5 months before their daughter was born.

In the docs, filed Wednesday in L.A. County Superior Court, Marlene claims she's also "struggling financially" because Chris stopped paying his court-ordered spousal support and medical expenses. 

Marlene is also asking the court for sole custody of their 2-month-old daughter -- with Chris only getting supervised visitation -- because, according to the docs, "[Chris] has a volatile temper."

UPDATE: Chris tells TMZ "I was only married to her for a short time. She’s handling this through TMZ, I’m doing this the right way -- through the court system.”