SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Former first-round draft pick Kentwan Balmer missed Monday's practice with the San Francisco 49ers for what coach Mike Singletary called "personal reasons."
Balmer drove away from the 49ers training facility at approximately 7 p.m. Monday, an hour after practice, according to the *San Jose Mercury News*.
Singletary would not elaborate on the reason for Balmer's absence.
"It's on Kentwan," Singletary told KNBR radio on Tuesday. "As far as I'm concerned, we've got to continue to practice and do what we have to do, and Kentwan's got to make up his mind in terms of how he's going to handle some of the personal issues that he has to handle.Â
"It's like any other young man or any other individual, sometimes things come up in life and you have to decide which is more important. That's where Kentwan is, and until he makes a decision I'm going to give him the time to handle it. Because there's certainly a lot that's on his plate right now."
Singletary said he expects Balmer, a defensive lineman who finished last season on injured reserve with a hurt shoulder, to return to the team soon.
Balmer has been a disappointment to the 49ers since they selected him with the No. 29 overall pick of the 2008 draft.
Entering his third NFL season, Balmer has yet to start a game and has 40 career tackles with no sacks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
