Well, that’s one way to stay on the same page with teammates.
Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown was spotted reading a self-help book on the bench during a playoff game Sunday.
Brown’s perusal of “Inner Excellence” by Jim Murphy caught the attention of the Fox broadcast team. Play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt surmised that Brown was “frustrated” with the few opportunities he had on Sunday (one reception for 10 yards).
Analyst Tom Brady tried to give the unusual sight some humorous perspective.
“I haven’t seen too many people read books, but I’ve seen a quarterback eat a hot dog,” he said, referring to a 2009 incident involving ex-New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez.
After the Eagles had wrapped up their 22-10 home victory over Green Bay to advance to the divisional round, Brown read the room and answered a reporter’s questions about his book break.
“It gives me a sense of peace. That’s a book I bring every single game,” he said. “My teammates call it a recipe. It’s the first time I heard that y’all got it on camera. It’s not the first game. It got a lot of points in there … it’s a lot of mental parts about it.” He said he uses it as a “refresher every drive.”
He conveyed similar sentiments on social media as well, adding that “people tend to create controversy when they don’t know the truth.”
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Contrary to what Burkhardt said, Brown said he felt good during the wild card matchup and was satisfied that he contributed in ways that didn’t show up on the stats sheet.
Brown may have also boosted sales of “Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life.” Some fans on X said they would buy a copy or had already purchased one now that they saw Brown drawing inspo from it in the moment.
