LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat didn’t explain why he failed a performance-enhancing drug test and received a two-week suspension, but he did make it clear how much it hurt absorbing the penalty.
The former Pro Bowl defensive end missed the last two games while serving the suspension but returned this week and is practicing for Monday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
“I just want to apologize to my teammates, the fan base, everybody, but I’m moving forward now,” Sweat said Tuesday.
Sweat reportedly will lose some guarantees on his contract as a result of the suspension.
“Yeah, it’s definitely something I got to live with my career,” he said. “I never want to cheat the game, and I would never do it intentionally, but what happened happened and I’m moving forward.”
Without going into detail, Sweat characterized his PED use as an accident.
“It was a surprise, but you take a lick on the chin and keep moving forward,” he said.
The Bears beat Atlanta and New England without Sweat, who has two sacks on the season.
“It was devastating,” Sweat said. “I’m just happy to be back in the building with my teammates. I think that’s what I missed the most, just being in the locker room around my guys.”
The two wins came as defensive coordinator Dennis Allen used more blitzes to put pressure on Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr. and New England’s Drake Maye. Slot cornerback Tyrique Stevenson has been especially effective on the blitz and had four sacks in the two games. Special teams player Daniel Hardy moved into the defensive end rotation and has contributed to the pass rush.
“Amazing,” Sweat said. “It’s always, in the NFL, a next-man-up mentality. They didn’t miss a beat.”
Maybe the most difficult part for Sweat was facing coach Ben Johnson after hearing about the suspension.
“It was tough,” Sweat said. “Nobody wants to look someone in the eye after you’ve done something detrimental like that to the team, but those are things you have to do to move forward.”
Sweat made the Pro Bowl after the 2023 season, when he was acquired near the trade deadline for a second-round draft pick from Washington. He had 35 1/2 sacks with Washington in 4 1/2 seasons and has 23 1/2 sacks with the Bears.
Sweat signed a four-year, $98 million contract extension shortly after coming to the Bears. The deal runs through next season.
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