SANTA CLARA –- Outside linebacker Aaron Lynch said he fought the NFL’s decision to suspend him to open the season for approximately three months this offseason.
But last week, the appeals process concluded with Lynch being suspended for four games to open the season due to the league’s policy on substances of abuse.
Lynch confirmed that he was entered into the NFL’s program upon entering the 2014 draft after testing positive in college. He said his failed test this offseason was a result of drinking too much water.
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“It came out unreadable,” Lynch said on Sunday. “I’ve already been in the program, so that’s (suspension) the next step.”
Under the NFL's policy on substances of abuse, a high concentration of water is considered an attempt to manipulate the testing.
"A Player who fails to cooperate fully in the Testing process as determined by the Medical Advisor or provides a dilute specimen will be treated as having a Positive Test Result," the policy reads.
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Lynch is eligible to practice during training camp and participate in the four exhibition games. Once the season begins, he can attend meetings at the 49ers practice facility. But he is prohibited from practicing or playing in the first four games of the regular season.
“I’ll be out for four weeks,” he said. “It wasn’t something I was trying to do. I could’ve avoided it, but I got to take it on the chin and go with it. “
He said his goal is to continue to get better and make his teammates better.
“I’m going to go into training camp,” Lynch said. “I’ll keep practicing and playing like I’m playing in the first week.”
Lynch said he continues to feel as if the organization “has my back,” from teammates such as NaVorro Bowman and Antoine Bethea to general manager Trent Baalke.
Baalke expressed his disappointment that Lynch's action warranted a suspension, but he also expressed encouragement for how far Lynch has come since falling to a fifth-round draft pick due to off-field concerns.
"Aaron's come a long way in a lot of respects," Baalke said. "He's matured a lot. He made a mistake and now he has to pay for that mistake. But if you talk to his teammates and you talk to the people who've coached him, or you talk to myself who's been around him, (we're) very confident in him as an individual. Very disappointed, but yet very pleased with his growth and maturity over the years."