When the 49ers open their season against the Minnesota Vikings, Victor Bolden won't be there to lend a hand.
San Francisco's return man from 2017 has been suspended for the first four games of the 2018 regular season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances, the team announced Friday.
"Unknowingly, I used a supplement that was on the NFL's banned substance list," Bolden said in a statement. "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."
The undrafted 23-year-old wideout signed a three-year, $1.66 million deal with the team last May. Bolden averaged 20.8 yards on 19 kick returns and just 5.8 yards off four punt returns.
A long shot to make the roster, Bolden can't afford a suspension on his record in San Francisco.
"Victor made an unintentional mistake, but learned a valuable lesson," 49ers general manager John Lynch said in a statement. "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."
