The Eagles had themselves a relatively easy win in Sunday’s wild-card round matchup with the Packers. But for wide receiver A.J. Brown, it was far from his most impactful game.
And with that in mind, it led to one of the stranger visuals when Fox cameras spotted the star receiver reading a book on the bench in the second half.
As some NFL fans jumped to conclusions, others figured out that Brown was actually reading a motivational book called INNER EXCELLENCE: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible life by Jim Murphy. On top of that, it was a book that Brown has had with him all season. It just happened to be the first time TV cameras spotted him reading it.
But every head coach has different expectations of their players, particularly on what they should be doing on the sidelines. Yet, don’t expect Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to stop Brown from reading that book. In fact, he’s known about it for a long time now.
Nick Sirianni defends A.J. Brown reading during the game:
"We don't do any research and we jump to a conclusion of, 'Oh he must be disgruntled.' That to me is lazy. Everyone needs to figure out why he's doing it before they jump to judgement on the man." https://t.co/QtI5IYwxZG pic.twitter.com/LMhmRfemyK
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) January 14, 2025
In a radio appearance with 94 WIP, Sirianni said that he was totally fine with Brown reading the self-help book on the bench. He explained that some players pray and others meditate to get their minds right on the sidelines. Brown finds it helpful to read that book. He has no plans to stop it.
Well said, coach.
