Amon-Ra It’s a summer very European in St. Brown. With a season of 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns under his belt, the wide receiver for the Detroit Lions is one of the most exciting players in the game going into 2024. However, St. Brown is getting back in touch with his origins before he does any of that.St. Brown was born and reared in Southern California, the son of an American bodybuilder and a German mother. During his childhood, he visited his mother’s birthplace often, learning the language and choosing to live locally instead of going on tourist vacations.
“There was my mom’s entire side of the family, so it was like a second home for me.” stated St. Brown. “I think I’ve been there more than 20 times. Like any other German child, I went there during the summers and went about my everyday business. Though I’m accustomed to it, it’s always interesting to return and observe a new society, new people, and new surroundings. Throughout his career, he’s answered all types of queries from reporters asking if he uses his second language as a sneaky tactic to smack talk his opponents. That’s not actually how the outspoken, sometimes blue-haired 24-year-old operates. “I don’t get that. “I want people to know what I’m saying if I’m talking garbage,” he grinned. “If I truly am
This summer brought another visit, but this time, it was to host his second annual St. Brown football camp. The first one—held last summer, after St. Brown’s breakout season—drew over 100 kids. This one, in Cologne, got a similarly enthusiastic turnout. His conversation with GQ happened just days before leaving, and in the time since, he took in a game at the Euros and visited a preschool he used to attend as a child. “It’s always cool to go back and see a different culture, different people, different everything,” he said. “I’m so used to Germany that I don’t even know what the tourist attractions are. In Cologne, they have the church. That’s pretty cool. Shoot, what else? You gotta try schnitzel, sauerkraut, and German beer. I’m probably the wrong person to ask. I just go out there and do my thing.”
