San Francisco QB To Miss Entire Season

By ESPN

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Thad Lewis will miss the 2016 NFL season after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament in Sunday's preseason opener against the Houston Texans.

Niners coach Chip Kelly confirmed the injury on Monday afternoon.

"I'm just really disappointed for him because I thought he played well yesterday," Kelly said. "We would like him to stick around."

With 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick nursing a fatigued right arm, Lewis was the first off the bench behind starter Blaine Gabbert against Houston. Lewis took over on the team's fourth offensive series and played well into the third quarter.

On his final snap before departing, Lewis scrambled from pressure for a 1-yard gain. Lewis was hit as he went to the ground but Kelly said Lewis didn't believe he was hurt that badly on the play.

Lewis had a slight limp as he went to the locker room and seemed to be in good spirits as he left Levi's Stadium on Sunday night. Kelly said the 49ers received the official confirmation of the injury on Monday morning and hadn't yet had the chance to discuss what comes next.

"We just lost Thad today, which is disappointing for us," quarterbacks coach Ryan Day said. "We really felt like we were creating depth at the position and then we lose Thad so it's an obstacle we've got to overcome but that's part of coaching in the NFL. Nobody else cares so although it bothers us, we have to come up with a new plan moving forward."

NFL Threatens Discipline

The NFL has threatened discipline, including suspension, for players refusing to cooperate with the league's investigation into steroid claims made by an Al-Jazeera America report.

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison, Green Bay Packers linebackers Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers and former Packers linebacker Mike Neal have until Aug. 25 to comply with the league's requests for interviews, according to an NFL letter sent to the NFLPA and obtained by ESPN.

Vice president of labor policy and league affairs Adolpho Birch wrote the league has a "good faith basis" for investigating potential violations of the NFL's drug policy, yet the league has made at least seven unsuccessful attempts to interview these players.

"For those players whose interviews do not take place on or before [Aug. 25], or who fail meaningfully to participate in or otherwise obstruct the interview, their actions will constitute conduct detrimental and they will be suspended, separate and apart from any possible future determination that they violated the steroid policy," Birch wrote. "The suspension for each such player will begin on Friday, August 26 and will continue until he has fully participated in an interview with league investigators, after which the Commissioner will determine whether and when the suspension should be lifted."