Off-season work is voluntary, but Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen, who was training in Arizona on his own, was apparently strongly encouraged by Coach Chuck Pagano that he was needed in Indianapolis.

Pagano sent Allen a text message that said, “We need you here. Period,” per the Indianapolis Star.

Allen said he knew Pagano was serious when he received the text, so he headed for Indy to join his teammates in the off-season program.

Allen had been training for nearly two months in Arizona, trying to reach the point where he could get and stay healthy for 2015, which incidentally is a contract year for him. He has missed 20 games with injuries in his first three seasons as a Colt.

"I felt bad about it a lot," he said of not attending the first days of off-season work. "I always want to be around the guys, and especially with the new additions, help them understand the culture of this locker room and where we believe we're going. That's where coach was coming from. He needs me here for that."