Former 49ers safety Gipson suspended for doping

San Francisco 49er safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. (31) practices on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Santa Clara, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

SANTA CLARA — Tashaun Gipson, the 49ers’ starting safety for the past two seasons, has been suspended for six games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, according to a league spokesman.

There was no official comment from the 49ers as Gipson became an unrestricted free agent in March.

The disciplinary action against Gipson – “suspension by the commissioner” – was announced by the NFL in its transaction notice on Tuesday.

Gipson, 33, can still sign with a team and participate in practices and game preparation before his suspension takes effect once the 53-man roster is finalized before the regular season.

Signed in the 2022 preseason as a short-term replacement for the injured Jimmie Ward, Gipson has started every game over the past two seasons, except for the final game of the regular season when he sat out with a quadriceps injury prior to the 49ers’ recent playoff run to Super Bowl LVIII.

Gipson made one of the 49ers’ biggest plays of the last postseason, forcing a Jahmyr Gibbs fumble that Arik Armstead recovered at the Detroit 24-yard line, setting up Christian McCaffrey’s touchdown run to tie the 49ers’ comeback against the Lions in the NFC Championship Game. Gipson’s forced fumble came with five minutes left in the third quarter, on the first snap of the game after Brandon Aiyuk caught a touchdown pass from Brock Purdy that gave the Lions a 24-7 halftime lead.

The 49ers’ projected starting safeties for next season are Ji’Ayir Brown and Talanoa Hufanga, the latter still recovering from his ACL tear last November. Brown was brought in as a rookie to replace Hufanga and start alongside Gipson.

While Hufanga was rehabbing during the offseason program, Brown and George Odum served as the first safeties. Others on the squad: rookie Malik Mustapha, Erik Harris, Tayler Hawkins and Jaylen Mahoney.