Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown didn’t wait for Friday’s parade to celebrate the Super Bowl victory with fans. On Wednesday, he visited the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, bringing the Lombardi Trophy along to meet 10-year-old Andre Howard III. Andre is a young hero who bravely shielded his sister from debris after a medical transport plane crashed in Philadelphia last month.
In an open letter shared on Facebook, Andre’s mother expressed her gratitude to Brown for the “love and support” he showed her son. “Thank you for being a man of your word. My son was beyond grateful to meet you,” her message stated. “It caught us all by surprise. For someone like Andre, who usually talks so much, you had him smiling from ear to ear and speechless.”
She continued, “I felt his heart pounding through his chest. The amount of love and support you gave, being so patient and even calling Saquon Barkley for him, was immensely appreciated. Thank you for everything and for bringing that WIN home for ‘TRE,’ the world’s greatest SUPERHERO.”
Andre and his family had gone out for donuts the night the medical transport jet crashed into their neighborhood, tragically claiming the lives of all six people on board. His father, Andre Howard Jr., recounted how they were in the car when debris began striking the vehicle. “I turned around — there was a piece of metal sticking out of my son’s head from the plane,” Howard said.
A devoted Eagles fan, Andre underwent emergency brain surgery, and one of the first questions he asked his father upon waking was whether he had missed the Super Bowl. Fortunately, he had not. Brown responded to photos of the visit shared by the NFL, calling Andre “my hero.” He had previously stated that he would be “playing” for Andre during the big game and hoped to visit him soon “with some hardware.
