10 Highlights of Amon-Ra St. Brown's Appearance on 'Receiver'

St. Brown stars in new Netflix series.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14). / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown entered a national audience realm with the release of Netflix's 'Receiver' Wednesday.

St. Brown was one of five players followed over the course of the 2023 NFL season, which was a historic one for the Lions. As a result, fans were treated to an inside look as to what life was like for the Lions' top wide receiver.

Here are 10 takeaways from his appearance over the eight episodes of 'Receiver.'

St. Brown played through torn oblique

One of the biggest revelations from the show was that St. Brown played through a torn oblique injury through the 2023 season. He suffered a toe injury in the second game of the year, then the oblique injury a week later. He played in Week 4, but sat out the following week. 

During the first episode, St. Brown revealed that his oblique was, in fact, torn. The fact that he missed just one week was a surprise in itself, though the USC product has become known for his relentless work ethic and toughness. 

Midseason sickness

Another ailment St. Brown dealt with over the course of the 2023 season was a bout with hand, foot and mouth disease in Week 8. The weekend leading up to Detroit’s Monday Night Football matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders, he began dealing with blisters, and had spots emerge on his face. 

St. Brown likened the pain in his feet to running on needles, while he also experienced pain in his hands. He arrived to the game wearing a facemask in an effort to keep the marks on his face hidden, and work a ski mask for the game under his helmet. 

His girlfriend, Brooklyn Adams, revealed that the sores on his feet turned to blisters and were popping during the game. It was a painful experience in a game that ultimately finished with a Lions victory. 

The ‘pump dance’ 

In the Lions’ season-opening win over the Kansas City Chiefs, St. Brown was nearly penalized for his celebration after scoring the first touchdown of the season. He was thrusting his hips, and a conversation is shown between the officials and Dan Campbell warning that St. Brown would’ve received a penalty if he had done so one more time. 

Sibling rivalry

The St. Brown brothers squared off twice in the 2023 regular season, as Amon-Ra’s brother Equanimeous played for the Chicago Bears. The two co-host a podcast together, and a clip from their episode leading up to the team’s first meeting in Detroit was played.

Ultimately, the Lions were able to squeak out a comeback win in that showdown. After the game, the brothers are shown interacting with various family members at Ford Field. Additionally, Amon-Ra got a visit from his parents, in which his father discussed the struggles the Lions had during the game. 

“I thought it would be a tough game from the beginning,” John Brown said. “But, my opinion is you still lost that game. That was a loss to me. I wouldn’t count that as a win. Gotta make adjustments, a lot of adjustments have to be made. A lot of them.” 

‘Drink Coca-Cola’

The father of the Lions’ star receiver is a celebrity in his own right, as he is a former Mr. World champion in weightlifting. John Brown makes several appearances during the series, and steals the show in several different instances. 

Among those is during the Lions’ win over the Raiders, in which he is captured urging his son to drink Coca-Cola instead of other drinks at halftime while dealing with a sickness. “He was adamant about the energy that the soft drink would provide compared to other, more well-believed suitable options such as Gatorade," Amon-Ra St. Brown said. 

At one point, he appears to voice-type a text message to Amon-Ra before halftime, urging him to drink Coke in the locker room. 

“I told my son to drink Coca-Cola, cause Coca-Cola will keep his energy level," the elder Brown said. "Yeah, Coca-Cola is the thing. As he gets older, sometimes he doesn’t listen to what I’m saying. When he was young, he would do it. Coke is the thing. Not Gatorade, Coke.” 

Later, during a sit-down interview, John explains his belief for why the soft drink is a more satisfactory option.

“Water’s not gonna give you no energy. Drink that Coke, you get a little energy,” Brown said. “A lot of people out there are gonna look at this and go, ‘Oh, he’s crazy. What’s he talking about?’ Try it. Next time you’re tired or you’re not feeling right, drink a Coke and see what happens.” 

Matchups with Justin Jefferson

St. Brown was not the only NFC North receiver to be showcased in the show. Additionally, the Minnesota Vikings’ top wideout Justin Jefferson was featured. As one of the league’s best receivers, Jefferson managed to have a solid year despite the Vikings struggling to find an answer at quarterback after Kirk Cousins went down with an injury. 

The Lions swept the Vikings in 2023, including a close win in the first matchup that cemented the division title for Detroit. Both St. Brown and Jefferson had high praise for each other, and they were shown interacting and exchanging pleasantries following the Lions’ win at home to end the regular season.  

Pro Bowl snub

St. Brown was infamously left off the Pro Bowl roster initially, despite a season in which he finished with over 1,500 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. The show showcased footage from a team meeting in which Campbell revealed to the team that St. Brown had been left off the Pro Bowl roster. 

The wide receiver was stung by the news, appearing frustrated during the meeting and later conversing about the situation with Kalif Raymond and Jared Goff. The quarterback showed his support for his wideout with a quip during a practice at the Lions’ indoor facility. 

“Hashtag St. Brown got (expletive),” Goff said.

St. Brown voiced his frustrations during media appearances during the season, but reiterated his feelings during a testimonial within the show. 

“Wednesday morning comes and we have a team meeting,” St. Brown explained. “Coach Campbell shows everyone that made it, I wasn’t on there. I didn’t make it, and I was hot. I was furious. I wouldn’t say I was as mad as I was during draft day, but I would say it was like second to that.” 

Behind-the-scenes of playoff run

A unique aspect of the show is the access it delivers to the teams playing in the postseason. With St. Brown in the mix, the Lions’ playoff run is showcased from a variety of angles. There is a segment in which the process of the wideout dying his hair blue is showcased leading up to the win over the Rams. 

With San Francisco having two players also featured in the show, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, the NFC Championship Game is quite prevalent in the season finale. The emotions of the Lions’ collapse and the 49ers’ euphoria are balanced nicely. 

St. Brown is shown getting emotional in a postgame interview conducted in German, along with sharing some emotional moments with family after the game. 

First-Team All-Pro reaction

Though St. Brown was snubbed from the Pro Bowl, he earned First-Team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career. He is shown receiving the news in a video conference with the Associated Press’ Rob Maaddi late in the regular season. 

This is a unique angle, as it allowed viewers to see the moment he learned of the news, as well as gave insight about how the process is conducted. 

‘One of the pillars’

In the final segment of the show that features St. Brown, there is footage from his signing of the lucrative contract extension that he inked to remain with the Lions.  

During his meeting with his agent, Joby Branion of Vanguard Sports Group, Campbell walks in to share a hug with St. Brown. He praised the impact the wide receiver has had on the organization, and jokingly prodded him to “just sign (the contract) already.” 

“You are one of the pillars, brother,” Campbell said of St. Brown. “Nobody deserves this more than you.”