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Bears defensive end Montez Sweat returns from PED suspension and apologizes to teammates

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Cite

The Associated Press. (2026, October 27). Bears defensive end Montez Sweat returns from PED suspension and apologizes to teammates. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/football/bears-defensive-end-montez-sweat-returns-from-ped-suspension-and-apologizes-to-teammates/article_6d1c2571-41d2-57e5-b287-ffff16e1376b.html

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Toronto Star · collected 2026-10-28 · by The Associated Press

Quick Summary

Montez Sweat, Chicago Bears defensive end, returned to practice this week following his two-week suspension for failing a performance-enhancing drug test. He apologized to his teammates and acknowledged the impact of missing the last two games against Atlanta and New England, which the team won despite his absence. Sweat emphasized it was an accident and expressed gratitude for his return, noting the importance of moving forward without dwelling on past mistakes.
Written by AI on 2026-10-28, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat returned to practice this week after serving a two-week suspension for failing a performance-enhancing drug test. He addressed his teammates and apologized, though he did not provide specifics about why the violation occurred. Sweat, a former Pro Bowl player, emphasized that it was an unintended incident and expressed remorse over its impact on his career and reputation. The Bears managed to win their recent games against Atlanta and New England without him; Sweat has recorded two sacks this season but will now lose some financial guarantees on his contract as a consequence of the suspension. He reiterated his commitment to playing fair in the future and is preparing for Monday night's game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Written for “Montez Sweat Returns Apologizes Teamsmates” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Montez Sweat Returns Apologizes Teamsmates
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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Claims extracted
23
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
4%
1 of 23 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-28 · how these are computed

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Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Toronto Star · 11416 article(s) · 28 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 28 correction(s)
2026-10-26
Correction
2026-10-24
Correction
2026-10-07
Correction
2026-09-24
Correction

Who wrote this

The Associated Press
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Topics

Atlanta Bears Ill. LAKE FOREST Washington

Subjects

Sweat PERSON · 10× Bears ORG · 3× Atlanta GPE · 2× Washington GPE · 2× Chicago Bears ORG · 1× Ill. GPE · 1× LAKE FOREST GPE · 1× Montez Sweat PERSON · 1× Pro Bowl ORG · 1× the Seattle Seahawks ORG · 1×

Narrative

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.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-28
🔮 “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.

Claims (23 extracted, 1 hedged)

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. asserted
it → explain → 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. asserted
end → miss → 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. uncertain
he → want → career
“I never want to cheat the game, and I would never do it intentionally, but what happened happened and I’m moving forward.” asserted
I → want → it
Without going into detail, Sweat characterized his PED use as an accident. asserted
Sweat → go → accident
“It was a surprise, but you take a lick on the chin and keep moving forward,” he said. asserted
he → take → chin
The Bears beat Atlanta and New England without Sweat, who has two sacks on the season. asserted
who → beat → season
“It was devastating,” Sweat said. asserted
Sweat → say → ?
“I’m just happy to be back in the building with my teammates. asserted
I → ’m → teammates
I think that’s what I missed the most, just being in the locker room around my guys.” asserted
I → think → 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. asserted
Allen → come → Jr.
Slot cornerback Tyrique Stevenson has been especially effective on the blitz and had four sacks in the two games. asserted
Stevenson → have → games
Special teams player Daniel Hardy moved into the defensive end rotation and has contributed to the pass rush. asserted
Hardy → move → rush
“Amazing,” Sweat said. asserted
Sweat → say → ?
“It’s always, in the NFL, a next-man-up mentality. asserted
It → ’ → NFL
They didn’t miss a beat.” asserted
They → miss → beat
Maybe the most difficult part for Sweat was facing coach Ben Johnson after hearing about the suspension. asserted
part → face → suspension
“It was tough,” Sweat said. asserted
Sweat → say → ?
“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.” asserted
you → want → team
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. asserted
he → make → Washington
He had 35 1/2 sacks with Washington in 4 1/2 seasons and has 23 1/2 sacks with the Bears. asserted
He → have → Bears
Sweat signed a four-year, $98 million contract extension shortly after coming to the Bears. asserted
Sweat → sign → Bears
The deal runs through next season. asserted
deal → run → season
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