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"We're the filthy five," tackle Micah Kia said, holding up one fist. "We're best friends and we play like it."

"I took a few weeks to figure out if I wanted to come back (from a torn ACL in the right knee) or not," Kia said. "It wasn't an automatic: next step, recovery. I had to weigh my options — this wasn't my first injury. Fractured back in high school, broken shin, broken hand. Is it really worth putting my body through this? When I realized it was possible to make a full recovery, the question was, 'Is this something I want to do?'

"But you know, this sport has taken precedence in my heart. Football has become my warrior identity. Letting it go, with the knowledge I could keep fighting, didn't sit well with me."