Chris Hogan Back At Gillette Stadium -- With Cannons Lacrosse Club
BOSTON (CBS) -- Chris Hogan is back at Gillette Stadium this week. But he isn't there for Patriots OTAs.
The former Patriots receiver has traded in his football helmet for a lacrosse stick, now a member of the Cannons Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League. The PLL just so happens to kick off its season at Gillette this weekend, with the Cannons getting it all started on Friday night.
While his focus is on lacrosse, the return to Foxboro has given Hogan a chance to walk down memory lane. It's the same field that he had one of the best games in New England history, hauling in nine receptions for a team-record 180 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Patriots' AFC Championship Game victory over the Steelers in 2017.
"It's been nostalgic. I got to run on the field last night and it's hard not to recognize the banners up there and know that I was a part of that," Hogan said Tuesday morning. "I've had so many good memories on this field.
"But that is short-lived," Hogan pivoted, like a good midfielder would. "I'm just trying to focus on helping my team get better and get better myself."
He still sounds like a Patriot, but Hogan is all-in on becoming a star lacrosse player again. He was a captain of the Penn State team his senior year in college, before finding his way as a receiver in the NFL. He's hoping to recapture his game with the Cannons, who signed Hogan after he went undrafted in the PLL draft.
"It's taken a little bit of time to get the rust off but I'm settling in now and the guys are great. Everyone has helped me adjust to the speed of the game," he explained. "We have a great team and a bunch of guys who just want to compete and work together for a common goal."
Hogan learned plenty of that during his time with the Patriots, and now hopes to play a part of the Cannons' success in the PLL.
"The work is already being done. We have so many good leaders on our team up and down the line," said Hogan. "Everyone is trying to establish that culture of 'everyone together.' There are no 'me' guys out there. Everyone is all about the team."
