Philadelphia Eagles’ AJ Brown Goes Viral for Reading Inspirational Book on Sideline During Playoff Game

AJ Brown. Photo:

Fox Sports

It’s never a bad time to read, apparently. Even during an NFL Playoff game.

Fox Sports cameras caught Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown thumbing through a self-help help book while sitting on the bench during his team’s 22-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Jan. 12, prompting reporters afterwards to ask whether he always reads during games or if he was doing so to highlight his frustration with the team’s gameplan.

Brown, 27, had just one reception for 10 yards during the Eagles’ win, despite being the team’s leading receiver all season.

“I wasn’t frustrated at all. I figured that’s what y’all probably thought,” Brown said after the game, according to ESPN. “Why do you always think I be frustrated? Dang. I like to read.”

The odd moment quickly went viral, as eagle-eyed NFL fans tracked down exactly the book Brown was reading: Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy.

Afterwards, Brown posted pictures of the book on social media with highlighted paragraphs: “This game is 90% mental and 10% physical for me,” he wrote alongside the post. “I bring it to every game and I read it between each drive. I use it to refocus and lock in despite what may transpire in the game, good or bad.” 

Murphy’s 2020 motivational book has landed in the hands of several high-profile athletes and CEOs in recent years, according to Sports Illustrated, who quickly reached out to the author on Sunday night.

“It’s been a pretty amazing night,” Murphy told SI. “I’m sitting here in a hotel by myself. I was like, What’s with all these messages? And then I saw what happened and I’m like, Oh my God that’s crazy. Really neat.”

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Murphy, whose book became a “#1 Best Seller” on Amazon by Monday morning, said he plans to reach out to Brown to talk about the book and if he can help the star wide receiver.

“It’s really an honor to be a part of his life and to have a meaningful place in anyone’s life,” Murphy told the outlet.

AJ Brown. AP Photo/Chris Szagola

Browns’ teammates reportedly call the book “The Recipe” because the wide receiver is always carrying it around.

“I physically believe I can do anything and everything, but I have to make sure my mental is good,” Brown said, according to NJ.com. “It’s something that I use to refresh every drive, regardless of if I score a touchdown or drop a pass. I always go back to that book and just refocus. Nothing matters, nothing happened, and I just reload when I go back on the field.”

Though Brown has been known to carry the book with him all season, some teammates questioned whether it’s something he actually does routinely read during games.

“I’ve never seen him read [on the sideline]; I’ve seen the book in his hands,” quarterback Jalen Hurts said after the game, according to ESPN. “Everybody has a different thing and finds their flow in different ways. That’s how he chooses to do it.”

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