Aldon Smith will miss the San Francisco 49ers' first nine games of the upcoming season after the league suspended the linebacker on Friday for violating the NFL's personal conduct and substance abuse policies.

ESPN reported that four of the nine games stemmed from Smith's violation of the league's substance abuse policies, and the other five for violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy.

Smith was arrested for drunken driving in September last year and was sentenced to 11 days of work last month. He also submitted himself to a substance abuse treatment centre, which forced him to miss five games last season.

"I apologize to my teammates, coaches, the entire 49ers organization and 49ers fans for not being able to contribute on the field for the next several weeks," Smith said in a statement on Saturday. "Over the last year, I have learned a lot and I'm working hard to grow from my experiences. I want to thank my family and friends, my teammates, my union and the 49ers for supporting me during this process."

Smith, who had 8.5 sacks and 34 tackles in 11 games last season, will be allowed to attend meetings and visit team facilities while serving his suspension, and the troubled linebacker said that he will show full support to the 49ers in the upcoming season.

49ers general manager Trent Baalke also expressed support to Smith, while also admitting that they expected that the 24-year-old will miss a number of games this season for committing the violations.

"Our organization has known this decision would come, and we have prepared for it as a team," Baalke said in a statement. "Aldon has taken responsibility for his actions and has continued to show growth personally and professionally. We will continue to support him, but it is time to put this matter behind us and focus on the season ahead."

Coach Jim Harbaugh has yet to name a replacement for Smith, but reports indicated that they are considering tapping rookie Dan Skuta, Michael Wilhoite, Corey Lemonier and Chris Bortland, their third-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

The 49ers, who lost to the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in last season's NFC Championship Game, will open their season against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 7 at the AT&T Stadium.

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