AJ Brown donates $25k to Starkville football

AJ Brown was back in town for his 7-on-7 football camp at Starkville High School. But the Yellow Jackets got even more than they expected.

During the camp’s lunch break, AJ Brown brought out a big check addressed to the program for $25,000.

“It was big to be surprised with a $25,000 check,” Starkville football head coach Chris Jones said. “He can surprise me again.”

Brown got the idea when a current player reached out the 2016 Starkville graduate about getting something new for them. Brown thought bigger.

“I want to make sure they do it in style,” Brown said.

To Jones, it means the world that Brown even comes back to host camps like these. But Brown said Starkville means everything to him because it’s where it all started.

Back before his days at Ole Miss or with the Tennessee Titans, Brown said he went to a couple camps but they never had anyone from the NFL come back.

“I didn’t experience nothing like this growing up,” Brown said. “So, I wanted to at least try to be the first.”

In hosting this camp, Brown got to affect more than just Starkville kids — nearly 20 different schools were in attendance for the competition. But the Starkville players are used to having Brown around. He comes back to lift with them and run routes with the receivers. And sometimes he makes it down to watch their games from the sidelines.

“He’s one of us so it’s honestly not a big deal,” Jones said. “Our kids, they have so much love and respect for him. It’s a blessing to have a guy like that around.”