It’s been a bumpy few weeks for Eagles WR A.J Brown. With his team struggling, the wideouts’ visible frustrations and reluctance to talk to the media have unfortunately become focal points. The former Tennessee Titan met with reporters at his locker today to set the record straight.
Eagles A.J Brown calmly shuts down tired media narratives
“The reason why I didn’t speak to the media after the game is I didn’t want to be negative. I transitioned to the mindset that we were going through a tough time and the person I am, I know I have to go back to work. There’s nothing I could do about it. If I had nothing nice to say, I won’t’ say nothing at all. I’m not going to compound the negative with the negative so you guys can write more negative stuff. You guys watch the game too. You already know. There’s nothing more that I can say. I’m not trying to make it worse than what it is.“
Well, it’s hard to fault A.J’s mentality. I think he handled that absolutely perfectly and while this was always the assumed reason behind the decision to not talk to reporters, it’s not always conveyed that way by the media themselves.
Part of the reason is that A.J is a team captain and has an obligation to talk to the Eagles’ media after a game. Refusing to do so obviously ignites a conversation, regardless of his reasoning. The other part could well just be that some were a bit salty that A.J didn’t want to chat to them.
A story was published by Marcus Hayes (who has a track record of posting articles that incite explosive emotional responses from Eagles fans and players alike) that basically said #11 was at the center of the teams’ frustrations. A.J Brown touched on this too:
‘Everything that I do, anytime I say something, I’m classified as a monster. Honestly, it’s the opposite. My frustration on the field wasn’t about the play call or anything like that, it was about my guy getting banged up. I’m going to need Smitty moving forward.
I apologized to my teammates today. They shouldn’t have to answer questions on my behalf, I’m a man, I can speak for myself.‘
He then went on to say that he hoped Marcus would be in the building today so he could ask him about the article. It’s not a shock to say that he wasn’t.
This is the exact kind of attitude we have needed to see from A.J Brown all along. We know he’s a fiery player and he wears his heart on his sleeve. Sometimes that can get taken the wrong way. By owning that fact, explaining his decisions, and setting the record straight, it completely dispels any toxic narratives being portrayed and puts the focus back on where it should be: the field.
Brown also spoke on Nick Sirianni and Brian Johnson, giving his confidence and support to both and taking accountability for a lack of execution.
Has A.J Brown just saved the Eagles? Joking aside, it’s genuinely so nice to hear this kind of response from the wideout. He’s a star on this team and is always going to be treated as such. To handle a tricky situation with such calmness and resolve speaks volumes about who he really is as a leader, and makes it easy to see why he was given the C.
AP Photo/Derik Hamilton
