
“I found peace in chaos.”
Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown finished last Sunday’s Wild Card game with just one reception for ten yards. After the game, he was bombarded with questions regarding the book he opened on the sideline during the game. That book, Jim Murphy’s “Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life,” became a best-seller on Amazon after the media labeled Brown a dramatic attention-seeker.

The visual spread across the internet and skyrocketed sales for Murphy’s book, prompting a sit-down interview between Brown and ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio. Many people insinuated that Brown was demonstrating his frustration with a lack of targets by reading the book; in reality, the story is much deeper.
In the interview with Paolantonio, Brown discussed the impact that the book has had on his life.
“I’m not afraid to push myself in areas – or pick up a book! We’re playing this masculine football game. Best believe I’m the first one who will go out here and try to smash somebody’s face in. As men, we gotta be strong, tough guys – I don’t believe that. I can lift weights all day, but that doesn’t do nothing for me if my mental is not correct.”

At the NFL Combine in 2019, Brown bench pressed 225 lbs for 19 reps, ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash, and notched a 36.5-inch vertical jump. He is one of the most feared receivers in the entire league for his physicality, yet the all-pro can be at his most vulnerable during the most intense moments – and he achieves this balance through the book.
Brown continued, “Just having a clear mind, clear heart I have found peace in chaos – in the midst of chaos.”
The attacks on Brown after last Sunday’s game reminded me of his press conference in 2021 with the Tennessee Titans. In 2021, Brown revealed his battle with suicide. That Friday, he posted a video revealing that he contemplated ending his life during the 2020 season. He spoke about the video during a press conference, and his courage led to an emotional interaction with a reporter.
The reporter cried when she asked Brown why he discussed something so personal with the public. Brown explained why, and the interaction was powerful.
Reporter: crying “Sorry.”
Brown: “It’s ok.”
Reporter: “What made you come out and want to talk about that? I’m so sorry.”
Brown: “You’re fine. You’re fine. It’s okay. Like I said, it was a dark moment and it was a year ago where I had thought about taking my life. It was special to me because it just came to my heart that I wanted to share with others and help others as much as I can. Like I said, I’m here and I have so much to be grateful for. I’m blessed. I know I wake up every day and get to play the game that I love, but I have loved ones around me that love me dearly, and I just wanted to help someone. Hopefully, I could save a life or anything. So, life happens to everyone, you know? I’m human, just like everyone else. Just because I play this beautiful game doesn’t mean life isn’t going to happen to me too. I just wanted to encourage everyone to seek help.”
Many do not know Brown’s story – and many judged him this week without asking the right questions. As a community, we are so divided as it is – we do not need to tear people down every chance we get. You never know what someone is going through or has been through in their life, so let’s not be so quick to judge.
Brown’s teammates and coaches knew he was reading the book and had no problem with it at all. Until cameras caught Brown reading last Sunday, nobody knew about his sideline habit – except his teammates and coaches. They all had his back, but none more than his head coach, Nick Sirianni.
On 94 WIP Sports Radio, Sirianni was asked about the book. The radio host asked, “It’s a strange visual obviously. Are you okay with him reading a self-help book on the sideline, or would you rather him not?”
Sirianni shut down the insensitive question immediately: “No, I’m definitely okay with it. The crazy thing is he’s been reading this book on the sideline for a long time. It just so happened that a camera saw it this week and kind of, you know, made a big deal about it… Some guys pray in between [posessions], some guys meditate in between [possessions], AJ reads in between [posessions].”
Sirianni continued, “I love AJ. He is such a good teammate, and I saw Jahan Dotson said something defending AJ and I thought that was awesome… You know, we don’t do any research to figure out how long he’s been doing it, why he’s doing it, [or] what he’s reading… We don’t jump to a conclusion ‘Oh, he must be disgruntled.’ That to me is lazy, and everyone needs to figure out why he’s doing it before they jump to judgment on the man, because the man AJ Brown is a great great great person.”

Many have questioned Brown’s leadership, and Sirianni shut that down as well.
He continued, “The man AJ Brown is the best receiver – and I’ll say it without hesitation – is the best receiver that this city has ever seen. The man AJ Brown is one of the best teammates in the world to his guys. This guy is top-notch, and I love AJ Brown.”
Mic dropped. What an excellent response to a disgusting question – a response that might just get the city of Philadelphia to rally around the same head coach they were ready to discard earlier this season.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is also the godfather to Brown’s daughter, was asked about the book. Hurts, a man of few words, said, “I’ve seen the book in his hands. Everybody has a different thing and finds their flow in different ways. So, that’s how he chooses to do it.”
When everyone tried to tear him down, AJ Brown stood tall. While many criticized Brown for being a selfish distraction on the sideline this year, his actions were so severely misinterpreted. The more people looked into his life, the more information surfaced about the great human that he is.
Now, Brown and the Eagles look to return to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years after a dramatic snowstorm win against the Rams. The Eagles host the Commanders for the NFC Championship game in one week for a trip to New Orleans, and you better believe AJ Brown is going to show up.
Go Birds.
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