Fresh off his team’s dominant Super Bowl victory, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown visited 10-year-old Andre Howard III in the hospital. And he brought the Lombardi Trophy with him.
While Brown was one of several heroes for the Eagles during their rout of the Kansas City Chiefs, reeling in three catches for 43 yards and a touchdown that put the team up 24-0 at the half, he decided to celebrate afterward with a real-life hero.
Andre, a student at Soans Christian Academy in Philadelphia, has been hailed as such after shielding his sister from debris following last month’s devastating medical transport jet crash that killed seven people (all on board, one person on the ground).
According to reports, Andre covered up his younger sister to protect her and was seriously injured by some of the falling debris in the process. He was struck in the head.
Doctors performed emergency surgery on the young boy and prepared his family for the worst, indicating his chances of pulling through were slim. But pull through, he did!
"Boy who saved sister during plane crash is recovering after emergency brain surgery…https://t.co/btPUfEHuES
— Lily GraceSABY (@LilyGraceSABY) February 11, 2025
…Andre (Trey) Howard III is being hailed as a real-life hero after he protected his sister from debris from the medical jet crash in Northeast Philadelphia last week"
A.J. Brown Pays A Visit To The Real Hero
A.J. Brown said prior to the Super Bowl that he would be dedicating his performance to the 10-year-old hero, then in a press conference afterward, indicated he’d be paying him a visit.
Andre is a lifelong Eagles fan.
“Speedy recovery!” Brown wrote on X. “You are a Hero young man! I’m going to come see you when I get back. Hopefully with some hardware. Playing for you on Sunday my man.”
Speedy recovery!
— AJ BROWN (@1kalwaysopen_) February 5, 2025
You are a Hero young man!
I’m going to come see you when I get back. Hopefully with some hardware. Playing for you on Sunday my man 💪🏾🫶🏽 https://t.co/pUtf2Zsoh2
And wouldn’t you know it? He showed up at the hospital with a very special surprise in tow. Brown visited the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on Wednesday with the Lombardi Trophy.
Andre’s mother thanked A.J. Brown for keeping his promise in an open letter posted to social media.
“Thank you for being a man of your word. By great surprise on this day my son was beyond grateful to meet you,” she wrote. “Caught us all by surprise. For Someone ‘(ANDRE)’ my son who usually talk so much, you had him smiling from ear to ear and Mute.”
RELATED: Saquon Barkley Comes To Taylor Swift’s Defense: ‘She Made The Game Bigger’
Rewarding For The Player Too
A.J. Brown apparently dialed up a teammate to talk to Andre as well.
“I felt his heart pounding through his chest,” his mother continued. “The amount of love and support you gave being so patient and calling Saquon Barkley for him was beyond appreciated. Thank you for everything and bringing that WIN home for ‘TRE’ the world’s greatest SUPERHERO.”
Go ahead and slam the ‘heart’ emoji on this post.
While Andre’s mom was offering all the praise in the world for A.J., Brown definitely got something out of his opportunity to meet with a real-life superhero.
He responded to the NFL’s post on the story by calling Andre “My hero.”
My Hero 🫶🏽 https://t.co/4vAFvM5qEg
— AJ BROWN (@1kalwaysopen_) February 12, 2025
It’s great to hear a story like this after watching NFL news about Kadarius Toney and discussing a celebrity boxing match involving Patrick Mahomes’ dad after the Super Bowl.
More about:NFL News