Montez Sweat Apologizes for 'Surprise' PED Suspension Ahead of Return to Bears

Montez Sweat is back for the Chicago Bears, but he is sorry he was suspended for two games after failing a performance-enhancing drug test.

"I just want to apologize to my teammates, the fan base, everybody, but I'm moving forward now," the pass-rusher said Tuesday, per the Associated Press. He also said the suspension "was a surprise, but you take a lick on the chin and keep moving forward."

Fortunately for Sweat, the Bears defeated the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots while he was sidelined.

They mixed in a number of blitzes to account for his absence, and cornerback Kyler Gordon notched four combined sacks in the two games.

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Still, the defense will be much better with its veteran pass-rusher back for Monday's game against the Seattle Seahawks. And he is happy to return after being away from the team for multiple weeks.

"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."

He also said facing head coach Ben Johnson and the team "was tough. 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 notched 10 sacks last season, which was the second-highest mark of his career. He finished with 12.5 during his one Pro Bowl season in 2023.

He had two sacks through the first five games of this season and will look to add to that total when the Bears face the Seattle Seahawks in a highly anticipated NFC showdown between potential contenders on Monday.