Getty Amon-Ra St. Brown catches a pass in a Lions preseason game in Pittsburgh.
The Detroit Lions have one of the league’s top young stars in wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown, and he is set to get some special recognition from the league that will honor his heritage.
This week, the NFL revealed that they would be having over 200 coaches, players and executives that will celebrate their heritage with international decals on their helmets. The Lions will feature many players doing this including linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez.
Like Rodriguez with the Mexican flag, St. Brown will be sporting the German flag decal on his helmet for this initiative, which is something that Sports Illustrated contributor Albert Breer pointed out with a tweet.
“NFL exec Peter O’Reilly said Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (South Korea), Steelers WR Chase Claypool (Canada), and Amon-Ra St. Brown (Germany) will be a part of this initiative,” Breer tweeted.
Truthfully, it’s possible that St. Brown could become one of the league’s most marketable young stars with an international flavor, so it’s nice to see the league helping him to grow his brand and give the Lions a big presence overseas.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if St. Brown becomes Germany’s favorite player and the Lions become the official team of the country given St. Brown’s influence.
St. Brown on Importance of His German Heritage
On his mother Miriam’s side, St. Brown is German, and he has not been shy about telling stories of how he grew up and the lessons she taught both him and his brothers through the years.
Recently when joining SportsCenter, St. Brown discussed his mother’s upbringing. While most know St. Brown’s father as athletically gifted, his mother also had a major hand in shaping the way her sons would grow up. That included plenty of German culture.
“My mom, she always made sure that we were coming home with good grades,” he said. “One of the things that I clearly remember growing up was we’d be on our way to school and she’d make us read 10 minutes of a German book and I can’t thank her enough now, because I’m able to read, write and speak German which is I think a beauty. Another thing that she did with us was make sure we get 10 vocabulary words a day. These were English words. 10 vocab words a day before we could do anything whether that’s go out with our friends (or) play video games, she made us do that and back then I hated it. I always wished I never had to do it, but now looking back I mean I even remember some of those words that we had during those times that she made us do those. It’s really incredible and it’s quite humbling.”
It’s clear St. Brown is a well-rounded person, and for that, his mother is to thank. This is why it will be extra special for him to pay tribute to his roots when he gets the chance to from the league.
St. Brown Surging to Start Career
It’s clear the Lions could have a special player and person on their hands in St. Brown, and someone poised to break into the next echelon as a star in the NFL.
Already this season, St. Brown has stepped up and made some big plays for the team’s offense, and has looked like a speedy star in the making. Heading into Week 4, St. Brown has put up 253 receiving yards with three touchdowns.
St. Brown was on fire for the Lions down the stretch last year, and he finished 2021 with 912 receiving yard and five touchdowns. That has simply served as springboard into 2022. The Lions have seen St. Brown come into his own with big plays, and he has looked like a future dynamo in waiting for the team’s offense.
In America, St. Brown has arrived, and it’s possible that with this initiative from the league, he’s about to arrive internationally as well.