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Turning the page: Eagles receiver A.J. Brown reads inspirational book on sideline during playoff win

Sport

Turning the page: Eagles receiver A.J. Brown reads inspirational book on sideline during playoff win
Sport

Sport

Turning the page: Eagles receiver A.J. Brown reads inspirational book on sideline during playoff win

2025-01-13 12:34 Last Updated At:12:41

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A.J. Brown had a novel ideal to pass time on the bench during Philadelphia's wild-card playoff game.

The Eagles wide receiver passed on the playbook and checked out an inspirational title — Brown casually ignored the action on the field and flipped through the pages of “Inner Excellence” by Jim Murphy.

Brown had time for some light reading with only one catch for 10 yards in a 22-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.

The book is described on the cover as one that will “Train your mind for extraordinary performance and the best possible life.”

Brown said he often reads on the sideline, but added: "Y’all caught me that time."

Brown, who had 67 catches for 1,079 yards and seven touchdown this season, described the lessons in the book as useful because football is “90% mental and 10% physical for me.”

“If I score a touchdown or drop a pass, it's something how I refocus,” Brown said. “I always revert back to the beginning of the book. It states if you can just have a clear mind and remember that nothing else matters, clear conscience, nothing matters negative or positive. You're willing to take risks. It also says if you're humble, you can't be embarrassed.”

Murphy's bio on his website says he's a former minor league outfielder and a mental skills coach to professional athletes. Murphy said he worked with another Eagles player who recommended the book to Brown.

Murphy told The Associated Press he was watching a replay of the Orange Bowl between Penn State and Notre Dame when his phone started blowing up with texts that his book made a cameo on an NFL playoff game.

“That's pretty unique to read it during the game,” Murphy said by phone from Dallas. “I saw that he was reading it on the sidelines before. I saw a picture of it. I though, oh, that's really cool, I never had an athlete in the game read it.”

“Inner Excellence” was the book of choice for Brown and maybe the rest of the Eagles.

A better story for the Birds on Sunday: Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and one of the NFL's stingiest defenses securing another home playoff game in a season they hope comes with a happy ending — a Super Bowl win.

“I'm just going to stay free, play free,” Brown said.

Brown later shared a photo of the book on social media with several passages highlighted in yellow.

“I’ve never seen him read. I’ve seen the book in his hands," Hurts said. "Everybody has a different thing and finds their flow in different ways. That’s how we choose to do it.”

The next chapter? The NFC East champion Eagles host a divisional round game next Sunday at the Linc against the winner of the game Monday night between Minnesota and the Los Angeles Rams.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Philadelphia Eagle wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) looks on after talking with his son before an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Philadelphia Eagle wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) looks on after talking with his son before an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

NEW ALBANY, Ohio (AP) — A warehouse worker said in a frantic 911 call that he was shot in the neck and then took the gun from a co-worker after he had shot several others. Two people died and four were injured in the Ohio shooting that sent panicked employees fleeing.

It's unclear what led to the Tuesday night shooting at the warehouse in New Albany, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northeast of downtown Columbus. The man accused in the attack, Bruce Reginald Foster III, 28, made an initial court appearance Thursday, with bond set at $20 million. He was seeking a court-appointed lawyer and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for next week.

The Franklin County Coroner’s Office said Thursday that one of the shooting victims, Shakhar Chapagai, 30, died Wednesday evening at Mount Carmel East, a Columbus hospital.

The other person killed has not been identified. No details have been released about the conditions of the wounded workers.

In 911 calls, workers said some of the victims were shot in the production area. The man who said he took the gun away said he handed the weapon to a supervisor.

New Albany Police Chief Greg Jones said Wednesday that Foster has talked with investigators. “I wouldn’t call him fully cooperative,” Jones said.

The lawyer who appeared with Foster in court Thursday, Hailey Doliveira, said in phone interview that she was there for the bond hearing only. She said she did not meet with Foster and so could not comment on whether he denies the allegations. Two possible phone numbers for Foster or a relative were not working Wednesday.

Police responding to the New Albany industrial park Tuesday night just missed Foster as he took a rideshare away from the scene, Jones said. Teams of police, aided by drones and a police dog, searched the facility.

“It does appear that there was contact between a victim and the shooter,” Jones said. “At this point, I don’t have a clear picture of how involved that contact was.”

Foster was found in an apartment in Columbus and arrested Wednesday morning. Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Dan Deville said a stun gun was used to subdue Foster, who he said had declined to surrender.

The shooting happened at the warehouse for a company that makes products including cosmetics and toiletries. About 150 employees inside the building were evacuated to a nearby building.

“Nobody reported that there was any conflict or that he was in trouble at work,” Jones said.

This image taken from video provided by WSYX shows police responding to an active shooter early Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in New Albany, Ohio. (WSYX via AP)

This image taken from video provided by WSYX shows police responding to an active shooter early Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in New Albany, Ohio. (WSYX via AP)

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