If there was a positive grain of salt to be taken from the two-game suspension Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat served due to a violation of the NFL's performance-enhancing substance policy, it's that the contests took place quickly, with a short week from Week 6 to Week 7.
Sweat could've technically been back at Halas Hall, and perhaps he was last Friday. But players were all back in the building on Tuesday for practice, and that gave reporters a chance to talk to him.
Sweat didn't get into what caused the positive performance-enhancing substance test. He started with an apology to his teammates, fans, etc. When asked how it happened, he called it accidental.
"It definitely was accidental. It was a surprise, Sweat said, via ESPN's Courtney Cronin. But you take a lick on the chin and keep moving forward. "
Sweat called it "devastating" to miss games against the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots, while acknowledging the impact of the suspension on his reputation.
"It's definitely something I got to live with for my career," Sweat said. "I never want to cheat the game, and I would never do it intentionally, but what happened, happened and I'm moving forward."
Per Cronin, Sweat also took full responsibility for putting whatever triggered the positive test into his body.
"I take the responsibility full upon myself. It was nothing with the nutritional staff here or the training staff here. It was things I was doing on my own. Yeah, take that on the chin and move forward."
Montez Sweat is naturally remorseful after two-game suspension
Sweat also recalled his conversation with head coach Ben Johnson after learning of his suspension.
"Nobody wants to go 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."
In Sweat's absence, according to Next Gen Stats. the Bears had seven sacks and 33 quarterback pressures. Daniel Hardy stepped into a bigger role over the two games and proved worthy of more snaps moving forward.
Sweat forfeited about $2.3 million in pay by missing two game checks, and the remaining $12.7 million of his base salary for this year is no longer guaranteed as a result of the suspension. He is due a non-guaranteed $21 million in 2027.
Regarding his contractual future beyond this season with the Bears, which has been somewhat of a question anyway, Sweat unsurprisingly didn't have a lot to say.
"I take everything that comes with it. The only thing I can do now is just look forward and continue to play."
Read more: Daniel Hardy has given Bears DC Dennis Allen a problem he'll be happy to have
Sweat is a key piece of the Bears' defensive line, so having him back in the fold is a great thing. Now he can leave the suspension in the rearview mirror and focus on turning his game up a few notches over the rest of the season.
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