For Eagles WR A.J. Brown, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
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PHILADELPHIA - Every spring football takes a back seat for the Philadelphia Eagles in an effort to give back to the community and help one of Jeffrey Lurie’s passions by holding the signature event for the organization's efforts to aid Autism research and care programs.
The Eagles’ Annual Autism Challenge enables the team’s fans to mingle with players, coaches, and executives all for a good cause. The sixth annual version of the challenge raised more than $6.2 million for autism research by Saturday, with 4,500 participants and 27,272 donations coming from around the world.
The participants can partake in three cycling routes - a 30-Mile Ride, a 10-Mile challenge, the junior 10-Mile youth ride, or a 5K run/walk, and a sensory walk.
For those who participate from inside the organization, it can be like pressing the pause button in what is typically an insanely competitive atmosphere where expectations are always through the roof in a football-passionate city.
There is literally nothing that even the most negative of people can find wrong with this event.
Enter some random knucklehead from South Philadelphia intent on making sure no good deed went unpunished.
Eagles’ second-team All-Pro receiver A.J. Brown was right in the middle of his 10-man cycling effort, chronically all the fun on Instagram live, when he approached an intersection near Catherine Street in South Philly when a car allegedly ran a stop sign and almost struck Brown.
The star receiver dropped his phone after nearly being hit by the vehicle, which eventually kept going. News of the close call spread quickly and Brown quickly confirmed he was OK.
“I’m fine everyone lol,” Brown tweeted. “Someone ran the stop sign. I didn’t fall off my bike. I just dropped my phone and got out of the way. Stay safe everyone.”
In the offender’s defense, it was a rainy Saturday morning and it’s at least even odds he or she had a big day of nothing planned so it’s always imperative to get to that as swiftly as possible.
Video portrayed the driver as doubling down by yelling at Brown to pay attention but the receiver clarified that was another bike rider scolding the inattentive driver, who is on the run from social media detectives as we speak.
These things happen in life of course and Brown could have been injured anywhere riding his bike.
Earlier this month former All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham suffered a nasty cut on his leg when hit by a car while cycling.
Former Eagles WR Mack Hollins became a bit famous locally for riding his bike to work at the NovaCare Complex and even to games which can be like navigating a war zone to the uninitiated. He made it through just fine.
For the Eagles though, this is their event and something that can be controlled to a degree and the path forward for next year’s Autism Challenge should be clear, at least for the players.
Maybe just hoof it.
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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
