For the first time as an NFL player, Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin is returning home to Indianapolis. McLaurin was born in Indianapolis and starred at Cathedral High School before moving on to Ohio State for his college football days.
Now, the Washington star will have the opportunity to play in front of friends and family in his hometown.
“I try to do a good job of just focusing on what’s really important. Winning this game is the most important thing,” McLaurin said, per Ethan Cadeaux of NBC Sports Washington.
“But I’d be lying if I said it’s not kind of cool to go back to where I grew up, where my affinity for football started. You just never know where your journey is going to be. You couldn’t have told me when I was seven years old that I’d be playing in the NFL. Getting to share that moment with my family and my close friends, that’s pretty cool.”
McLaurin, who has 27 receptions for 440 yards and two touchdowns this season, is coming off his best performance of the season in a win over the Packers. While McLaurin had better numbers in a Week 3 loss to the Eagles, he was instrumental in leading Washington to a victory last week. In addition to his touchdown catch, McLaurin had two clutch catches on Washington’s final offensive drive to run several minutes off the clock.
As with any pro athlete who returns home to play, there will be several in attendance to see McLaurin. He estimated he’d have around 70 people there to see him Sunday.
“Seeing the schedule this year and the Indy game, it’s away, that was a pretty cool moment,” McLaurin said. “My next thought was, ‘I got to get on these tickets right now.’ I already know it’s going to be crazy. That’s the fun part about it. I get to share this moment with some of the people that have helped me get to where I’m at today.”
With Taylor Heinicke under center for the Commanders, Washington did a better job of putting the ball in McLaurin’s hands last week. With Jahan Dotson expected to be out again this week, you should expect to see plenty of McLaurin vs. the Colts.
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