Eagles Visited By 'Inner Excellence' Author Jim Murphy After Viral A.J. Brown Video
January 17, 2025
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown and Jim Murphy, the author of "Inner Excellence," met after the wide receiver went viral for reading Murphy's book on the sideline of a playoff game.
Murphy joined Brown at the Eagles facility on Friday, according to PHLY's Zach Berman and NBC Sports' John Clark.
Brown was seen reading Murphy's "Inner Excellence" on the sideline of the Eagles' Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers last Sunday.
Brown then said on X he brings the book to every game and reads it "between each drive."
"I use it to refocus and lock in despite what may transpire in the game good or bad," he wrote.
When asked after the win if frustration over recording one catch on three targets had led him to pick up the book, Brown answered: "I wasn't frustrated. I like to read."
James Palmer @JamesPalmerTV<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/eagles?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#eagles</a> WR A.J. Brown handed me a beaten up paperback copy of Inner Excellence. Full of handwritten notes and highlighted sections. He has it with him every game and you can tell it's been knocked off benches on sidelines week after week. Brown then showed me the passage he reads… <a href="https://t.co/y2p8vODaps">pic.twitter.com/y2p8vODaps</a>
Brown's charitable foundation announced the launch of a new "reading initiative" Wednesday.
Murphy's book has meanwhile climbed to No. 1 on Amazon's trending list. The title was previously ranked 523,497th on the list, per ESPN.
Murphy told Sportico's Jacob Feldman the book went from selling five copies a day to selling 10,000 the day after the Eagles game.
He is considering re-releasing a new version of the book "with Brown's support," according to Feldman.
A former minor league baseball player, Murphy was inspired to write the book in order to "teach baseball players how to have confidence under pressure," according to The Associated Press' Dan Gelston.
Murphy and Brown have discussed collaborating on "opportunities to raise awareness and funding for common causes" since the moment went viral, Feldman reported earlier Friday.
Brown sat out Wednesday's practice due to rest and a lingering knee injury. He was limited during Thursday's session before returning to full capacity Friday.
The wideout has a tendency to perform well following a game during which he received limited targets. The Eagles will hope the extra rest will help Brown bounce back during Sunday's divisional round clash with the Los Angeles Rams.