ALLEN PARK – When the Detroit Lions held their exit meetings last season, the locker room was an emotional scene to witness.

Some players quickly came and went after cleaning out their lockers, while others were too emotional to talk, still reeling from their divisional-round loss to the Washington Commanders the day before.

Spirits brightened a bit, however, when Alim McNeill — just a few weeks removed from tearing his ACL — trotted into the locker room on crutches to lift his teammates and speak with reporters. The young defender told MLive he caught an Uber to the facility just to be around his teammates.

That dedication to being there for his teammates helped fuel a faster recovery, as McNeill put in the extra work to get back on the field and help the Lions chase their Super Bowl d

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