Larry Whigham, a safety who made his mark primarily on special teams while playing for the Patriots from 1994-2000, is hoping to return to the NFL after a three-year absence. Whigham, who said he’s taken his name off the NFL retirement list and has worked with strength coach Tom Shaw to lose 25 pounds, is living in Providence after a tragic turn of events.

Whigham, 33, had bought into a Subway franchise in his hometown of Hattiesburg, Miss. Then Hurricane Katrina hit. Whigham said the store was demolished. Then, a few days later, Whigham said he was waiting to fill up his car with gasoline, along with two siblings, when they witnessed a man get shot over a dispute over a bag of ice.

”At that point, I just decided it was time to leave town; it was a real tough, difficult time for me,” said Whigham, who packed up his car and drove for three days to visit relatives in Tacoma, Wash.

A little more than two weeks later, he received a call informing him that the mother of his child had committed suicide. Whigham then moved to Providence to raise his son, and is currently working as a loan officer for a mortgage company.

After Whigham left the Patriots following the 2000 season, he played the next two years with the Bears (and was a teammate of Rosevelt Colvin’s). He said he retired before the 2003 season to sort things out, as he was in the process of a divorce.

Whigham recently lost his AFC Championship ring from the 1996 season, but it was returned when the fan who found it recognized him from a TV commercial he was filming for a mattress company.