Photo posted publicly to Facebook by Lala Syon Hamiel
10-year-old Andre "Tre" Howard III is a hero.
And Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown is a man of his word.
Tre was injured by debris when a medical plane tragically crashed in Northeast Philadelphia on January 31, killing seven. Tre's father, Andre Howard, Jr., told reporters that he was picking up donuts with Tre and two younger siblings when the aircraft went down.
© Daniella Heminghaus | 2025 Feb 1Tre heroically covered his sister in the chaos. And he paid an awful price.
"I turn around and he has metal outside of his head," Andre told ABC News.
Tre was rushed to the hospital and underwent emergency brain surgery. Doctors informed Andre that there was a strong chance Tre wouldn't survive. But the young man awoke and is recovering.
Tre had two primary concerns when he woke up: his sister and the Birds.
"He asked me, 'Daddy, what's today?' I was like, 'Monday,'" said Andre. "'OK, wait. We didn't play yesterday did we?' 'No, you didn't miss the Super Bowl,'" Andre said.
Tre then asked, "Daddy, did I save my sister?" His father assured him that his sister was ok.
Tre's story made national news, and Brown promised to visit the young fan after the Super Bowl.
Speedy recovery!
You are a Hero young man!
I’m going to come see you when I get back. Hopefully with some hardware. Playing for you on Sunday my man 💪🏾🫶🏽 https://t.co/pUtf2Zsoh2
And on Wednesday, Brown followed through. "Dear A.J. Brown, Thank you for being a man of your word," wrote Lala Sayon Hamiel, Tre's mother, in a public Facebook post. Hamiel also shared photos of Brown's visit.
Brown may be a "hero" to millions of Eagles fans, but Tre's actions the day of the crash were on a whole different level. It's fantastic to see the NFL superstar following through on his promise to visit.
