Pat’s Update: Ian Rapoport says that the substance in question was, “contaminated creatine.”
The San Francisco 49ers have announced that wide receiver Victor Bolden has been suspended for the first four games of the 2018 NFL season. The suspension stems from Bolden using a performance enhancing substance. The substance is unknown at this time.
Bolden issued this statement:
“Unknowingly, I used a supplement that was on the NFL’s banned substance list. 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.”
49ers general manager John Lynch also had a statement on the issue as well:
“Victor made an unintentional mistake, but learned a valuable lesson. 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.”
With this suspension, Bolden will not be eligible to return to the active roster until October 1st, the week leading up to the Arizona Cardinals game at Levi’s Stadium. He can still participate in team practices and preseason games.
While showing promise in 2017, Bolden already had an uphill battle to make the team given the recent draft acquisitions at wide receiver. This suspension isn’t going to help his stock either.