Eagles’ Nick Sirianni blasts ‘lazy’ critics of A.J. Brown’s sideline book-reading

Eagles’ Nick Sirianni blasts ‘lazy’ critics of A.J. Brown’s sideline book-reading

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni “fully” encourages star receiver A.J. Brown to enrich his mind during a game.

Two days after Brown went viral for reading Jim Muphy’s “Inner Excellence” on the bench during Philadelphia’s 22-10 wild-card win over the Packers at home, Sirianni addressed the buzzy moment Tuesday on 94.1 WIP, where he pushed back at speculation the receiver’s actions stemmed from agitation.

“We don’t do any research and we jump to a conclusion of, ‘Oh he must be disgruntled.’ That to me is lazy,” Sirianni said of Brown, who had one catch for 10 yards in Sunday’s win, according to Audacy.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni spoke about A.J. Brown’s viral sideline moment when he was seen reading a book during Philadelphia’s wild-card playoff win. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
The star Eagles receiver was reading “Inner Excellence” during the team’s 22-10 win over the Packers. Fox/X

“Everyone needs to figure out why he’s doing it before they jump to judgment on the man. Because the man, A.J. Brown, is a great, great, great person. The man A.J. Brown is the best receiver — and I’ll say it without hesitation — the best receiver that this city has ever seen.”

Fox commentators Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady remarked on Brown’s sideline activities during the broadcast.

“So A.J. Brown, while we’re figuring that out, he’s a little frustrated. Obviously, hasn’t seen too many balls today. He’s gonna read a little pᴀssage here,” Burkhardt said.

Brown, 27, elaborated on the tome postgame with reporters.

A.J. Brown (11) lines up against the Packers on Jan. 12, 2025. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

“It gives me a sense of peace,” he said. “That’s a book I bring every single game. My teammates call it a recipe. It’s the first time I heard y’all got it on camera. It’s not the first game. It got a lot of points in there, it’s a lot of mental parts about it.” 

Siranni, whose Eagles are two games away from a Super Bowl berth, added Tuesday, “Whatever these guys need to do to put their mind in a place where they can play with great detail and great effort, I fully encourage them to do that.”

A.J. Brown and Nick Siranni in December 2024. Getty Images

Murphy’s “Inner Excellence” has since topped the charts at Amazon as a No. 1 best-seller.

“It’s been a pretty amazing night,” Murphy told Sports Illustrated Sunday of the sudden surge. “I’m sitting here in a H๏τel by myself. I was like, ‘What’s with all these messages?’ And then I saw what happened, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that’s crazy.’ Really neat.” 

Currently in his third season with the Eagles, Brown has tallied 67 receptions for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns this year.

The Eagles host the Rams in the Divisional Round on Sunday.

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