"The enemy speaks kindly & holds a book" should be Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown's social media bio from here on out.
Brown just capped off a thrilling third season with the Birds in which he won his first ever Super Bowl in a blowout win over the Kansas City Chiefs in February. The Philly wide receiver saw a slight drop-off in production in 2024 compared to his first two campaigns with the Eagles, leading some to believe he wasn't quite satisfied after the Eagles' Super Bowl LIX win.
However, Brown seemed fired-up as ever ahead of the upcoming season and even went so far to share how he was preparing for his Year 7 campaign in 2025: By reading, of course.
Brown, who went viral for reading a book on the sidelines during his team's wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers in January, leaned into that schtick when he posted a photo of his offseason reading list over the weekend.
"Wassup guys, i’m excited to let you all in on my reading journey. Reading has become fun for me and another way I challenge myself to grow on a regular basis.
Here are some books that I’ve read last year and the beginning of this year as well. I’ve read majority of these books and I still have some work to do but I encourage you to find a book that may catch your interest. Get a hard copy or even a audiobook if that’s easier and try to find something that challenge you so you can become a better version of yourself."
The three-time Pro Bowler said that he intends to publicly discuss the books he's reading at the moment, noting that he was currently in the middle of The Courage to Be Disliked by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi.
Some other notable titles included in Brown's reading list were The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson and The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality by Mike Sielski.
Inner Excellence, the book Brown was seen reading on the bench during the Eagles' playoff game, became a viral overnight sensation and has enjoyed a massive surge in popularity this past year, at one point becoming the top-selling book on Amazon.
“It’s really an honor to be a part of [Brown's] life and to have a meaningful place in anyone’s life," author Jim Murphy said of the newfound attention.
In 2024, Brown finished with 67 catches for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season, adding 163 yards and two touchdowns en route to the Super Bowl win.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as A.J. Brown Shares Eclectic Offseason Reading List After Viral Book Moment in Playoffs.
