Eagles’ A.J. Brown meets ‘Inner Excellence’ author Jim Murphy

Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown met Inner Excellence author Jim Murphy Friday, and the pair chatted like old friends.

Many fans and media were surprised when Brown was spotted reading the motivational book on the sideline during the Eagles’ Wild Card win Sunday over the Green Bay Packers.

“I haven’t seen too many people read books. But I’ve seen a quarterback eat a hot dog.” – Tom Brady 🏈🎙️📚🌭 #NFL pic.twitter.com/t3KxDqCUXS

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 13, 2025

Afterward, Brown dismissed the reaction to his reading, saying he brings the book to every game and reads it after each drive. He also praised the book’s inspirational messages.

“I read the book, I like to read,” Brown said.

Not surprisingly, the book immediately shot up the sales charts, going from selling a handful of copies a day to around 10,000 the day after the game, according to Sportico. According to ESPN, it leaped from No. 523,497 in sales on the Amazon best seller list to No. 1.

So Murphy visiting Brown was just about the most obvious promotional idea in the history of book tours.

AJ Brown met with Jim Murphy, the author of the book Inner Excellence today at the Eagles Novacare Complex for an interview with ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio.
📸 Sal Pal pic.twitter.com/nkbx72zSM0

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) January 17, 2025

Brown and Murphy are now partnering in a couple of ways. Earlier this week, the AJ Brown Foundation announced a new “reading initiative” on Facebook, highlighted by one of Murphy’s quotes: “The more you read, the more you know. The more you know, the more you grow.”

According to Sportico’s Jacob Feldman, Murphy is also planning a revised edition of his now best-selling book, “with Brown’s support.”