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How Fletcher Cox’s offseason in a Mississippi gym helped him become one of the NFL’s best defensive players

Deon Hodges first met Fletcher Cox in June 2013. He was a former Southern Miss wide receiver who was cutting his teeth in the personal training business at a gym in Madison, Miss., just 15 minutes from Cox's offseason home.

Cox was getting ready for his second NFL training camp with the Eagles and was looking for a place to train during the offseason when he wasn't up in Philly with his teammates.

"He came in to our gym and worked out with the general manager,'' Hodges said. "The general manager introduced us and said you guys might be a good fit.