Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown became the viral star of Sunday’s NFC Wild Card game with his strange sideline move.
FOX cameras caught Brown reading a book on the sideline during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. Brown casually pulled the book out while the Eagles were on defense, prompting confusion from Tom Brady in the FOX booth.
AJ Brown is reading a book on the sideline? 📚😂
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/jQGv8smD9N
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 13, 2025
Internet sleuths quickly discovered that the book is titled “Inner Excellence” by Jim Murphy, which bills itself as a “mental training system” for top athletes.
Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy pic.twitter.com/B1LIbfbDKM
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) January 13, 2025
Reading a book on the sideline while not on the field is presumably not strictly forbidden. It is a fairly goofy move, though, and will undoubtedly spawn a host of memes.
Brown had a quiet day Sunday as Philadelphia’s passing offense struggled to get going consistently. He finished the game with one catch for ten yards on three targets. Considering the offense had been a source of frustration for Brown earlier in the season, perhaps this was his way of ensuring that his frustration does not get the better of him. At least reading the book seemed to be constructive.
