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Colts head coach Chuck Pagano was wearing a blue shirt at Monday's training camp practice, but it wasn't his typical Indianapolis Colts shirt. Instead, Pagano donned a blue shirt with the words, "KELLY TOUGH" emblazoned on the front, and then underneath that a small red buffalo with the number 12 in front of it.
So what's the meaning behind the shirt? It's a show of support for former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly, who's currently battling cancer for the second time. Kelly, who wore number 12 in his Hall of Fame career with the Bills, has been receiving support from countless fans and people around the league who have rallied behind him. One of those people supporting Kelly is Colts coach Chuck Pagano.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Head Coach Chuck Pagano represents <a href="https://twitter.com/JimKellyInc">@JimKellyInc</a> with a "Kelly Tough" T-Shirt at his press conference today. <a href="http://t.co/HFmcX75oWY">pic.twitter.com/HFmcX75oWY</a></p>— Matt Conti (@ColtsConti) <a href="https://twitter.com/ColtsConti/statuses/498926713402056705">August 11, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Colts?src=hash">#Colts</a> Chuck Pagano gets <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KellyTough?src=hash">#KellyTough</a>. 11p <a href="https://twitter.com/rtv6">@rtv6</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bills?src=hash">#Bills</a> <a href="http://t.co/fapdarWYz9">pic.twitter.com/fapdarWYz9</a></p>— Dave Furst (@DaveFurst) <a href="https://twitter.com/DaveFurst/statuses/499026894294380544">August 12, 2014</a></blockquote>
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"As you know Jim is going through some tough times," Pagano said after practice on Monday. "Just to be able to support Jim and his family and the circumstances and adversity that he's been through. Not only battling cancer right now and fighting that but everything that he's been through. He's one tough cookie and we think about Jim all the time and he's always in our thoughts and prayers. I know he's got the right mindset and the will power to get through this thing."
Pagano knows a thing or two about battling cancer. He was diagnosed with leukemia during the 2012 season and that resulted in Pagano missing most of his first season at the helm of the Colts. By the time he returned to the sidelines in week seventeen of that year, Pagano's fight had sparked a huge "ChuckStrong" campaign that had resulted in Colts Nation and the entire NFL to rally around the cancer-stricken coach. He's cancer free now, but that doesn't mean he's forgotten about what he went through and he's spending a lot of time helping and supporting those also going through the battle with the awful disease. Pagano holds an annual "ChuckStrong Gala" to raise money for cancer research, but perhaps the most important thing Pagano does is encourages and supports those battling cancer. For the Colts coach to show his support for Jim Kelly in his battle is no surprise, but that doesn't make it any less awesome.
It's cool to see Chuck Pagano showing support for Jim Kelly, and it's just another visible sign that the NFL community has and continues to rally around Kelly in his battle with cancer.