Below is the full interview for your reading pleasure.
I went to the eModa.com offices on a particularly cold day in late winter for an interview with Sheldon Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles. The eModa office was much like the player I was about to meet: smaller than I expected and rather unassuming. In the front of the office, several girls flitted around steaming and pulling clothing for the shoot. Just back the hall, past the writers and programmers behind the scenes of a multi-million dollar online retailer, Brown was wrapping up a photo shoot.
The shoot moves to a bar across the street and Brown and I get to the interview portion while the photographer, stylist and staff regroup. Brown is not what you’d imagine a million-dollar NFL player to be: he is quiet and mild mannered and anything but intimidating. He has a touch of that Southern drawl and fits as easily into the background of the bar as he does in front of the camera. It’s hard to imagine that this is the same man famous for a massive hit on Reggie Bush in the 2006 NFC Championship game.
Sheldon Brown attributes his stellar attendance record (he hasn’t missed a football game since the sixth grade) to his work ethic and to god’s diligence in watching over him. Of his famous hit on Reggie Bush in the 2006 NFC Championship game Brown says, “It’s an adrenaline rush you definitely feel the effect throughout the stadium. It’s an emotional lift for your team because you physically sent a message to the other team announcing domination.” Beyond this particular hit, Brown’s reputation is as a hard-working player who quietly makes an impact. Unimpressed by the accolades and endorsements, he is content earning the respect of his teammates and peers.
Brown’s easy demeanor is shaped by his upbringing in South Carolina. His southern roots permeate his conversations and have a great deal to do with his inspirations and his aspirations after football. Even as we sit here, Brown is under the watchful eye of a friend from home in town only long enough to pack Brown up to fly south for the off-season. It becomes immediately obvious that there is some place they would both rather be.
Having already done a great deal to improve the football program at his high school alma mater, Brown’s ultimate goal is to return as a coach. Without his home town, Brown believes, he wouldn’t be where he is today. During each game, Brown thinks of his coaches and his home, playing for an entire community where a neighbor might whip you for being out of line just as your own mother would.
When asked about mentors and the responsibility of athletes as role models, Brown states that while they do have an obligation to kids who look up to them, they are not parents. The role of teaching and mentorship really belongs to parents. After all, someone’s got to be in charge in the off-season.
Brown’s role model is his father. A man he remembers racing and playing one-on-one with in the backyard. It was somewhere around the age of 12 or 13 that Brown beat his dad in a race. With that victory it became obvious that he was a special athlete.
Brown looks forward to returning to South Carolina and coaching and mentoring, but won’t do so until he puts away his pads for good. As he does on the field, he won’t commit unless he can give 100%. His contract may be in Philadelphia, but his heart is in Dixie.
And while speaking of Philly, I thought it only fair to ask Brown what it’s like to play here in front of fans legendary for their passion and, well, disrespect. Brown loves playing for the Birds and appreciates the fans for their honesty. With Philly fans, he says you always know where you stand, they let you know when you’re doing well and they let you know when you’re not.”
Brown is acutely aware of the strangeness of celebrity and fan admiration and keeps it all in perspective. The fans, the endorsements, even today’s shoot are all part of that game. A game he enjoys to an extent.
As it happens, Brown love clothes, especially those that are custom fit. For him, “there’s no better feeling.” One of the perks of building a home was having the luxury of creating a closet large enough to house his rather extensive wardrobe. When he’s out and about or doing a public appearance, you might see Brown in a fresh pair of True Religion or Monarchy jeans, a designer tee, sport coat and Louis Vuitton tennis shoes. The sport coat, Brown casually explains, comes off when feeling casual and goes on to add a touch of class.
Observing Brown during his shoot, he appears relatively comfortable posing with a model or alone in front of some lights holding a football or leaning across a bar. He seems in control and aware, perhaps recognizing that this is all part of a game that will allow him the means to return home where he’ll enter a second phase of his life as coach, mentor and country boy.
