SANTA CLARA –- The 49ers on Friday placed veteran safety Antoine Bethea on season-ending injured reserve to make room for wide receiver Jerome Simpson on the team’s 53-man roster, a source told CSNBayArea.com.
Bethea, a 10-year veteran, sustained what the team initially announced as a shoulder injury late in the second quarter of the 49ers’ 20-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday. The injury occurred when he reached out with his right arm to attempt to tackle wide receiver Doug Baldwin. Bethea underwent an MRI examination on Friday morning at Stanford Hospital.
The 49ers signed Bethea as a free agent in 2014, and he prompted established himself on the team as the winner of the Bill Walsh Award as the team’s MVP.