Star NFL wide receiver A.J. Brown is saying goodbye to Philadelphia and hello to New England. On Monday, June 1, football fans got the news that Brown, who spent four seasons with the Eagles, is starting a new journey with the New England Patriots.
Instead of focusing on that chatter, I decided to learn more about the athlete. I always knew he was a mental health advocate, which is vital, but I also learned other cool facts about Brown that everyone should know, especially if you’re just following the trade news and clickbait around him.
A.J. Brown is a proud mental health advocate and believes in community engagement
What athletes do on the field is important, but their off-the-field behavior is just as crucial. A.J. is vocal about mental health, sharing his experience and letting players and supporters know seeking help is not something to frown upon. He also founded the A.J. Brown Foundation, which empowers underserved youth through education, literacy, and youth development.
His 2023 record-setting performance
Imagine gaining 125+ yards in six consecutive games. Brown did that in 2023, setting an NFL record. He’s also the only Eagle with multiple seasons of 1,400+ receiving yards, achieving it back-to-back (1,496 in 2022 and 1,456 in 2023) with the top two marks in franchise history.
Brown is an MLB and NFL draftee.
Dual athletes amaze me because being good at one sport is cool, but being good at two means you’re on a different level. A.J. Brown chose football after being drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2019 draft. Before that, he was drafted in the 19th round by the San Diego Padres in the 2016 MLB draft. He was an outfielder, signed with the team, and participated in extended spring training, which prevented him from playing college baseball at the University of Mississippi.
He’s the second player, after Kyler Murray, to play in both the Under Armour All-America Football Game and the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game.
His middle name is incorrect on his birth certificate.
I found a 2023 Inquirer feature highlighting A.J.’s road to becoming a football star and saw that his middle name is spelled wrong. The ‘J’ isn’t supposed to be ‘Juan’; it’s actually ‘Jauan,’ according to his mother, who said it was spelled wrong on his birth certificate.
Header image credit: Instagram/@peacecollective
