INDIANAPOLIS — Tony Dungy hugged his players, his assistant coaches and thanked the public for its support after returning to Indianapolis on Thursday. Then he went right back to work.

One week after leaving the Colts to mourn the death of his oldest son, James, Dungy ran practices, team meetings and announced he would coach Sunday’s regular-season finale against Arizona.

“It was the right time to come back,” he explained somberly after the Colts’ afternoon workout. “I talked about it with my wife, and we went through the grieving process and now we’re starting with the healing process.”

Dungy’s return culminated a draining week in which football has been secondary to life and death for the Colts.

He left the team Dec. 22 when his 18-year-old son was found dead a Tampa-area apartment. A preliminary autopsy called the death an apparent suicide.

Team president Bill Polian and team owner Jim Irsay urged Dungy to stay with his family as long as needed while assistant head coach Jim Caldwell filled in. On Tuesday, about 200 Colts players, coaches and team officials flew to Tampa for James Dungy’s funeral, their first opportunity to meet face-to-face with Dungy since the tragedy.

Before practice Wednesday, most players said they were still uncertain of Dungy’s plans although Polian and Arizona coach Dennis Green, a longtime friend of Dungy, said they had already been informed.

Thursday’s surprise, though, excited everyone. A locker room that had been quieter than normal during Dungy’s absence suddenly became reinvigorated. The Colts also appeared to walk off the field with more pep, and after practice, Polian and Dungy even laughed.

“It’s great to have him back,” Polian said. “It’s been a long ordeal for him and his family, and I think it will be a long, long time before they have a sense of peace and consolation. But I hope this is one place he can find some peace and consolation.”

Dungy said he spent Wednesday with his family at the Tampa zoo, discussed the decision with his wife, Lauren, and flew back to Indianapolis late Wednesday night with his other teenage son, Eric. At about 7:45 a.m. — his usual arrival time — Dungy walked into the Colts complex where he was greeted with embraces, handshakes and condolences.

In the training room, players received hugs. At breakfast, players said they were shocked to hear the sound of Dungy’s voice. And then, as Caldwell hastily called a team meeting, Dungy spoke briefly about how much he appreciated their support.

“It was like a sigh of relief. He gave everyone a big hug,” linebacker David Thornton said. “He didn’t have a chance to do that the other day when we came down. But he hugged everyone. He was so excited to be back with his family, his football family. Everyone is so happy for him. We’re still supporting him.”

While Dungy said his wife and other children remained in Tampa, they were not far from his thoughts. Several times he mentioned the family discussions that led to his decision to come back sooner than many people expected.

He also spoke of the solid support group his family has in their Tampa church.

“I thought maybe he might wait until probably after (the regular season) when we started to get ready for the playoffs,” defensive lineman Raheem Brock said. “I hope being back helps him.”

Dungy spent much of the day catching up on football with his team, which has lost its last two games after starting 13-0. It already has clinched home-field advantage in the AFC for the playoffs.

Dungy acknowledged a handful of regular starters would sit out this week, and even said he had to slow down the Colts’ regular routine because he wasn’t as familiar with the Arizona’s schemes as the players or assistant coaches who had been working on the game plan since Monday.

But there was no sign of weariness on Dungy’s face — or in his actions.

“It’s been a tough couple of days and it’s been tough being away,” he said. “But it’s been made easier by all the support everyone has shown for me and my family and I want to thank them for that.”

Before leaving, Dungy reiterated the message he gave during a 25-minute eulogy Tuesday, asking players to take their responsibility of being role models seriously and urging parents everywhere to hug their children at every opportunity.

Then Dungy tried to find some solace in the work that will carry some painful reminders of his dead son, who frequently spent game days on the sideline.

“The game I think, from talking to people who have gone through this kind of thing before, will be easy but I’ve never gone through this path,” he said. “For me, I have some very good memories that bring hurt. When you do things that were very special and joyful, that’s hard. But every day gets a little easier.”