In the late stages of their Wild Card matchup against the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles receiver AJ Brown was caught reading a book on the sidelines, per Ari Meirov on X.
Once the cameras caught Brown reading on the sideline, both broadcasters Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady had comments.
“So AJ Brown, he's a little frustrated,” Burkhardt said. “Obviously, he hasn't seen too many balls today. He's going to read a little passage here.”
“I haven't seen too many people read books, but I've seen a quarterback eat a hot dog,” Brady said.
After some sleuthing, it was revealed that Brown was reading Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life, a book intended for self-help purposes.
Since Brown ended the game with just one reception for 10 yards — and has shown a tendency to be upset when he isn't a focal point of the offense — many speculated on why Brown decided to bust open some literature on the sidelines.
And following the game, reporters obviously asked Brown about what he was reading, as everyone watching this game had something to say about it, per Stacey Dales of NFL Network on X.
“Man, it gives me a sense of peace,” Brown said. “That's a book that I bring every single game. My teammates call it ‘The Recipe'. You know, it's the first time I've heard that y'all got me on camera. But, it's not the first game.
“You know, it's got a lot of points in there. It's got a lot of mental parts about it. For me, this game is mental. I physically believe that I can do anything and everything, but I've got to make sure my mental is good. It's just something how I refresh every drive — regardless if I score a touchdown or drop a pass. I always go back to that book every drive and just re-focus. Nothing matters, nothing happened. Just re-lock back in.”
So, while this might've been the first time the camera caught Brown partaking in his bookworm tendencies, this is a way Brown keeps his mental game strong each week.
And with the Eagles handing the Packers a loss in the Wild Card round, it seems to be working.