49ers receiver Jerome Simpson suspended six games

San Francisco 49ers receiver Jerome Simpson has been suspended for the first six games of the regular season.

San Francisco 49ers receiver Jerome Simpson has been suspended for the first six games of the regular season, the team announced Tuesday.

Simpson was suspended after violating the league’s substance abuse policy stemming from a marijuana possession citation last July. He had faced the possibility of a suspension as long as 10 games, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. 

“The probability of a suspension was known when we signed Jerome,” San Francisco general manager Trent Baalke said in a statement. “Since joining the 49ers, Jerome has proven to be a great teammate.”

Simpson was serving a three-game drunk driving suspension when news of the marijuana citation was first reported in September. He was released by the Minnesota Vikings just hours later and did not sign with another team last season. He was also suspended for three games at the start of the 2012 season as a result of a September 2011 marijuana trafficking arrest. 

The 49ers signed Simpson, 29, to a two-year contract in March. In his last NFL action in 2013, Simpson caught 48 passes for 726 yards. 

- Dan Gartland