One of the most historically accurate tropes about the NFL is that wide receivers are typically the most diva-like of all the football positions.
Insanely talented knuckleheads like Randy Moss, Chad Johnson (née Ochocinco), Terrell Owens, and Joe Horn are just a few examples of recent wide receiver stars whose on-field output was only matched by their shenanigans.
To be clear, Philadelphia Eagles standout A.J. Brown does not have the same disruptive reputation that some of his predecessors have.
But that didn’t stop Brown, a virtual non-factor in his team’s 22-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, from raising a few eyebrows with a sideline antic that would’ve felt perfectly in-line with something Moss or Owens would’ve done in their prime.
To wit, Brown would finish the game with just a meager lone catch for 10 yards (a far cry from his usual production), but it was what he was doing on the sideline that garnered the most attention.
You can watch the viral clip for yourself below:
AJ Brown is reading a book on the sideline? 📚😂
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/jQGv8smD9N
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 13, 2025
“So A.J. Brown,” Fox announcer Kevin Burkhardt began. “He, um, he’s a little frustrated. Obviously, he hasn’t seen too many balls today. He’s going to read a little passage here.”
Did you watch any of the NFL playoffs?
“I haven’t seen too many people read books,” Fox commentator Tom Brady added. “But I’ve seen a quarterback eat a hot dog.”
(Brady was referencing his former AFC East rival and ex-New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, whose hot dog incident is only behind his “butt fumble” incident, in terms of infamy.)
Per Fox News, the book was eventually identified as self-help book “Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life.”
The book, authored by Jim Murphy, apparently makes the trip to every game for Brown.
The star wide receiver claimed as much after being asked by reporters about:
AJ Brown describing reading on the sideline, a book he brings to every single game… pic.twitter.com/LH2iIcW3L5
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) January 13, 2025
NFL reporter James Palmer actually shared some details about what passage Brown was purportedly reading while on the sidelines.
Highlighted passages include:
- “We’ve all had times when everything came together in perfect harmony: sacred moments, when we were totally immersed in the experience and felt fully alive.”
- “[W]e’re so hard on ourselves, amplifying all our failures and regrets, that we neglect to see what’s still possible — a life of freedom, filled with deep contentment, joy and confidence, independent of circumstances. We’re all human, with the same desires and concerns.”
- “In the pursuit of extraordinary performance, it’s easy to succumb to anxiety and pressure, because so much is out of your control.”
Again, Brown didn’t hide a phone in the goalpost for an extravagant celebration like Horn. He’s never changed his last name for publicity like Johnson. He’s never fake mooned the fans in Green Bay like Moss, and he’s never thrown his quarterback under the bus with allegations of homosexuality like Owens.
Still, some NFL fans couldn’t help but feel that Brown’s sideline moment was deeply emblematic of why receivers are often labeled as divas.
AJ Brown reading motivational self help books on the bench during a game they are winning but he only has one catch is quite possibly the most wide receiver thing I’ve ever seen.
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) January 13, 2025
“AJ Brown reading motivational self help books on the bench during a game they are winning but he only has one catch is quite possibly the most wide receiver thing I’ve ever seen,” one prominent NFL content creator noted on X, to the tune of over 28,000 likes.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.