ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Pat Surtain II focused on faith, family and just being a football fan during his monthlong hiatus from the Denver Broncos' lineup because of a strained left pectoral muscle.
The NFL's reigning Defensive Player of the Year is set to return to action this weekend when the Broncos (9-2) put their eight-game winning streak on the line at the Washington Commanders (3-8), who are are also coming off a bye week.
“It feels great, honestly,” Surtain said of returning to practice this week. “It's been a long couple of weeks not being out there. But I'm grateful and blessed to be back — to be back healthy.”
Surtain got hurt making a tackle in Denver’s 44-24 rout of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8. Although Surtain is the fulcrum of coordinator Vance Joseph's defense, the Broncos went 3-0 in his absence, limiting the Texans, Raiders and Chiefs to an average of 13.6 points.
“Them dudes are playing lights out,” Surtain said. “And it made me a fan to watch on the sideline. Just being out there seeing from my lenses, you could see those guys were playing with a full head of confidence. And you could tell everybody was together.
“When you look at stuff like that, it makes it even more excited to get back out there with the guys.”
Denver's emergence as a Super Bowl contender helped Surtain ignore any thoughts of having to rush his return, he said.
“I took my time with it,” Surtain said, “but also I was anxious to get back.”
Surtain said that when he first got hurt, he wasn't sure if his season was over.
“At first I didn't really know the severity of it,” he said. “Obviously in the heat of the moment you don't know if it's a tear or a strain, but I got the best news I could get from it. It was just a partial tear. ... I attacked rehab the right way, got it back stronger, got it back healthier.”
A full tear would have sidelined Surtain until 2026.
Surtain praised the play of backup cornerbacks Kris Abrams-Draine and rookie first-round pick Jahdae Barron while he was sidelined.
“Oh, they stood out for me,” Surtain said.
Surtain had never missed so much time in his five years in the NFL or in his three seasons at Alabama.
“So, it was a little different for me,” he said, ”because I was able to do things that I don't normally do, you know, spend some quality time with the family, talk with the family. I was more at home than usual. So, it comes with the good and bad, but through this time sitting out I was able to gain a lot."
And the Broncos just kept on winning.
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FILE - Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II looks on before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Oct. 26, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)
ATLANTA (AP) — Federal health officials have identified lettuce from Mexico served at Taco Bell locations across five U.S. states as a source of the widespread outbreak of diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Thursday warned consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. A record number of cyclospora cases have been reported in more than 30 states, and experts have said not every recent U.S. illness might be caused by a single source.
A Food and Drug Administration investigation identified a single supplier of the lettuce. The federal warnings to consumers did not identify the company, but a federal official who was briefed on the investigation and not authorized to discuss it told The Associated Press it was Taylor Farms of Salinas, California.
Taylor Farms, which has been tied to foodborne outbreaks in the past, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“FDA is working with the supplier of iceberg lettuce to determine if potentially contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce remains on the market,” including in other states, the CDC said. “Taco Bell has committed to stop using any lettuce from the supplier identified by FDA’s traceback investigation.”
In a statement, federal health officials stressed that other “brands, restaurants, retailers, or distribution channels” could be identified as the investigation continues.
CDC, FDA and public health officials in several states have been investigating a multistate outbreak of cyclospora infections.
The illness is not usually life threatening and is typically treated with antibiotics.
On Thursday, ahead of the federal government's confirmation, Taco Bell issued a statement saying that it had taken “immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states. The affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states.”
Cyclospora is a microscopic, spherical parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the CDC. Outbreaks tend to occur most often in the late spring and summer.
The heat-loving parasite infects the bowels and spreads through feces. In the past, people have been infected by consuming fruits or vegetables that were exposed to feces-contaminated irrigation water.
The illness, called cyclosporiasis, is less common than foodborne illnesses caused by other germs, including salmonella and E. coli. Many cases are never linked to a specific food or other source and, for years, few U.S. cyclospora outbreaks were reported. But the number started rising about a decade ago, with a particularly notable spike in 2018 and 2019.
Previously, 2019 saw the most reported U.S. cyclosporiasis cases, with about 4,700. The current surge has far surpassed that. Michigan — the apparent epicenter of the current outbreak — is reporting more than 5,000 cases, and more than 2,000 additional probable and suspected cases have been reported in other states.
No deaths have been reported. But Michigan officials say more than 100 people in that state have been hospitalized, and federal health officials say dozens more have been hospitalized in other states.
Experts attribute the increasing trend in cases to climate change and better detection. They also say it’s likely that cyclospora cases historically were underreported, for several reasons.
Some common tests used to check for food poisoning have not been geared to detect cyclospora. Technicians aren’t able to grow the parasite in labs, making it hard to draw evidence from contaminated produce. And it can be hard to figure out what food sick people had in common because sometimes it’s a single ingredient that might be common in multiple recipes — like basil or cilantro.
The FDA’s traceback investigation identified a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico used by the Taco Bell locations where people who got sick ate, federal officials said.
The Mexican food chain is among the restaurants linked to foodborne illness outbreaks in the past.
Taylor Farms also was tied to a 2013 cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to salad mix and a 2024 E. coli outbreak tied to onions served at McDonald's.
Stobbe reported from New York.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
This undated photo taken through a microscope provided by the CDC shows Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts found in a fresh stool sample which had been prepared with a formalin solution and stained with safranin. (CDC via AP)
A Taco Bell fast food restaurant is shown Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in Taylor, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
