SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers star linebacker Fred Warner starts the offseason program with no limitations from the ankle injury that sidelined him for most of last season.
Warner went down with a right ankle injury on Oct. 12 at Tampa Bay and missed the final 11 games of the regular season and both playoff games for San Francisco. He was able to return to practice in January and had a chance to play if the Niners had reached the NFC title game.
Now he's back at full strength at the start of the offseason program for the 49ers on Monday.
“I’m feeling extremely blessed, grateful to be back, feeling great,” he said. “No restrictions. Just being able to jump right in. Returning to practice kind of gave me all the confidence in the world to really attack training during the offseason. Not having to start from doing rehab and everything just going from ground zero building up just like I would any other offseason. It’s been great.”
Warner had been a first-team All-Pro three straight seasons from 2022-24 and also made the squad in 2020. His 947 tackles are the second most for the team, behind Patrick Willis’ 950, as far as records go back to 2000.
Warner had missed only one game in his eight-year career before the injury last season, sitting out in 2021 with a hamstring injury. He played most of the 2024 campaign with a broken bone in his ankle and still earned All-Pro honors.
While Warner is back, the situation around receiver Brandon Aiyuk remains unresolved.
San Francisco placed Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad list late last season after previously voiding $27 million guaranteed in his contract for 2026 for failing to participate in meetings and other team activities. Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million extension before the 2024 season.
Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have said they don't expect Aiyuk to play for San Francisco again but the team hasn't cut him yet in case there's a possibility of a trade.
“Do I think it’s a high probability? Likely no.” Lynch said. “But, is there a chance? Yeah, I think there’s a chance. I think I was candid with you guys in saying at the end of the season that he’s likely played his last snap for us. We all are in concert on where we’re going with Brandon.”
Lynch said the team will wait at least until after the draft before making a move.
“I think we’ll see it through here,” he said. “We’ll focus on our draft. If something happens there, great. If not, we’ll re-evaluate it. He’s still a member of this roster right now and we’ll treat him as such.”
Aiyuk signed the lucrative extension just before the start of the 2024 season following a lengthy contract hold-in that kept him out of training camp. He was coming off a 2023 season when he had 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns and was a second-team All-Pro.
Aiyuk had only 25 catches for 374 yards in seven games in 2024 before going down with a knee injury. He hasn't played since.
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FILE - San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner watches players warm up before an NFL football game between the 49ers and the Chicago Bears, in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn, File )
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department filed a complaint Monday in federal court against the city of Washington, D.C., and its water and sewer authority, seeking financial penalties for their role in a leak that led to millions of gallons of raw sewage spilling into the Potomac River.
The complaint stems from a massive leak in a 72-inch (183-centimeter) pipeline, called the Potomac Interceptor. The pipe collapsed Jan. 19, shooting sewage out of the ground and into the river just north of Washington in Montgomery County, Maryland. The leak spilled 244 million gallons (924 million liters) of raw sewage into the Potomac River and shined a fresh light on the country's aging infrastructure.
The local water authority, DC Water, said it knew the pipe, first installed in the 1960s, was deteriorating, and rehabilitation work on a section about a quarter-mile (400 meters) from the break began in September and was recently completed.
The complaint alleges that DC Water failed to properly operate and maintain its sewer system in a manner that keeps untreated sewage out of the Potomac River and tributaries, and other areas with risk of human contact.
“After decades of use and years of neglect, including at least eight years of DC Water knowing about severe corrosion requiring immediate repair, a section of the Potomac Interceptor known by DC Water to be severely corroded catastrophically failed,” the filing said.
"DC Water's failure to maintain the Potomac Interceptor resulted in raw sewage flowing into the Potomac River and the surrounding environment, posing a direct risk to public health," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson in a statement. “As cities grow and infrastructure ages, cities must invest in their wastewater system to prevent such catastrophes.”
The complaint was one of two filed against DC Water Monday. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown filed a separate action in Montgomery County Circuit Court seeking civil penalties and damages for costs from the contamination of the river.
“The utility must take full responsibility for the damage caused and take immediate and lasting action to prevent future spills," said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain in a statement.
DC Water said in a statement that it was “fully committed to the long-term rehabilitation” of the Potomac Interceptor. The agency added that its highest priority was to contain the overflow and repair the damaged section of the pipe, which it did in fully stopping “all discharges to the Potomac River within 21 days. The repairs of the affected segment were completed in 55 days. DC Water is working now to accelerate the rehabilitation of more than 2,700 linear feet of pipeline in this area that was previously scheduled for improvement.”
The statement declared that both lawsuits were “under review.”
The leak sparked political recriminations from President Donald Trump — who blamed local Democratic leaders, focusing especially on Maryland's Democratic Gov. Wes Moore. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser declared an emergency in February and asked Trump for help. He issued an emergency declaration days later that provided a rush of federal assistance.
The pipe was returned to operation last month after emergency repairs were completed.
The leak is largely under control, but it could take months to fully repair the pipe. DC Water, along with the EPA, has been working to repair the leak and monitor the impact on the river.
FILE - Workers prepare to take soil samples where raw sewage flowed near the Potomac River in Cabin John, Md., March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
