Eagles wideout A.J. Brown gave the commencement speech at Ole Miss this weekend
Brown loves a good motivational book, but this past weekend speaking to graduates at the University of Mississippi, his alma mater, it was he who served as inspiration.
On Saturday, A.J. Brown returned to his alma mater as a Super Bowl champion to deliver the commencement address for more than 5,500 students at Ole Miss.
Brown loves motivational books (see: Inner Excellence) and used them to find motivation of his own during the Eagles’ playoff run. At the commencement, the wide receiver took a spin at providing that motivation himself.
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“I’ve played in front of sold-out crowds, I caught touchdowns in the Super Bowl, but standing here, trying to impress your grandma, your group chat, and professors all at once?” Brown joked to open the speech. “This might be the real pressure.”
Brown, who was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2019, told the story of his trade to Philadelphia. After thinking he had it all figured out upon entering the NFL, getting traded to the Eagles was a shock to his system.
“I’ll be honest, I didn’t understand it at first,” Brown said. “I didn’t want it. I was hurt, and I was frustrated, and yeah, I was even pretty scared. But here’s the truth: Sometimes God will move you, even when you’re not ready to move yourself. Philly tested me. I’m going to let you all in on a little secret. Philly still tests me to this day.”
He leaned on his faith during his transition to a new offense, with new teammates in a new city, and leaned on it even further when the Birds ultimately lost Super Bowl LVII, even after giving it “everything we had.”
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Brown encouraged the crowd to show up every day and work hard, and to trust God’s timing.
“Dream big,” Brown said. “Bigger than what feels safe. Bigger than what feels comfortable, because with God, with faith, and with consistent hard work, there’s no limit to what you can build.”
From the move up to nab Georgia’s Jihaad Campbell to rumblings that other general managers were reluctant to do deals with Howie Roseman, Mike Mayock examines the Eagles’ rookies with two questions in mind: Do they have the potential to positively impact the franchise’s title defense, and can they make up for talent lost earlier in the offseason? That and more in the latest episode of The Inquirer’s unCovering the Birds podcast with Jeff McLane. Listen here.