
Victor Bolden earned his way onto the 49ers’ Week 1 roster as a rookie last season with an impressive training camp.
Bolden will not be eligible this year to play when the season begins.
The NFL on Friday announced Bolden has been suspended for the first four games of the regular season due to a violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. In a statement released through the team, Bolden said he accepts the league’s punishment.
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“Unknowingly, I used a supplement that was on the NFL’s banned substance list,” Bolden said. “As a professional athlete, I take full responsibility for not verifying the ingredients of the supplement. In the future, I will be much better educated when choosing what to put in my body. It hurts to know that I will not be on the field with my team for the first four games of the season.”
Bolden is one of 11 wide receivers on the 49ers’ 90-man offseason roster. The 49ers are expected to keep six receivers on their regular-season roster.
“Victor made an unintentional mistake, but learned a valuable lesson,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said. “Professional athletes must be meticulous in their supplement choices. We know Victor is disappointed, but we hope this is a reminder to all our players how important it is to make educated decisions on what to put in their bodies.”
Bolden made the 49ers' 53-man roster last season as an undrafted rookie from Oregon State after an exhibition season in which he returned a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns. Bolden appeared in nine games during the regular season. He averaged 20.8 yards on 19 kickoffs and 5.8 yards on four punt returns. He was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury on Dec. 13.
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Bolden, 23, will be eligible to participate in all practices and exhibition games before the start of the regular season. He is eligible to return to practice on Monday, Oct. 1.