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Internet Sleuths Already Found the Book A.J. Brown Was Reading on Eagles’ Bench

Because if you want to hit your GoodReads goal, you have to start early.

Brigid Kennedy

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown reading on bench during game vs. Green Bay Packers on Jan. 12, 2024.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown reading on bench during game vs. Green Bay Packers on Jan. 12, 2024. / SportsCenter / Twitter / Screenshot
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A.J. Brown is not beating the "frustrated wide receiver" allegations ... at least not today.

On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver was spotted reading a book on the bench amid his own quiet game against the Green Bay Packers.

Now, as for the actual book he was reading, the internet moved fast with its detective work, operating on nothing but hope and some screenshots. And as you'd expect, the eagle-eyed sleuths came up with an answer minutes before the broadcast team confirmed it.

Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life by Jim Murphy is a self-help book with a 4.36-star rating on GoodReads and a 4.7-star rating on Amazon. Murphy, himself a former outfielder for the Chicago Cubs, is a performance coach for "professional athletes and leaders around the world," per his bio on GoodReads.

"What a ride this book took me on. Wondering how this successful athlete achieved so much but later learned what really mattered," wrote one reviewer. "This is a great guide to help find and unleash your true self. Excellent resource for athletes, coaches, parents, careers of all sorts, you name it. Very much appreciate Mr. Murphy’s efforts in sharing his valuable insights!" added another.

As pointed out by Sportico's Jacob Feldman, Brown has apparently been carrying the book since at least October.

But had we seen him reading the book during a game before? No, that's definitely new.

Needless to say, Brown's postgame presser is about to be interesting. And Jim Murphy is about to be a very rich man.

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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.

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