/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60401969/usa_today_10552376.0.jpg)
I know how much the average football fan loves the Madden video game series (sarcasm) but, when it involves their favorite player appearing on the cover for that particular year, their ears tend to perk up a bit.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans...prepare yourselves!
It has been leaked that Antonio Brown will be on the cover of Madden 19 when it’s released in August.
Check out the photos below!
(Editor’s Note: The person who leaked this photo was asked, by EA Sports, to remain anonymous.)
Can’t you hear the talk of ‘the Madden Curse’ already?
Is it real?
In the modern era of the video game, only one other member of the Black-and-gold has ever graced the cover of the game. That was none other than Troy Polamalu when he joined Larry Fitzgerald on the cover of Madden 10. In case you forgot, Polamalu’s following season was certainly one to forget.
Here’s a quick recap of his season during the 2009-2010 campaign:
Polamalu sprained his medial collateral ligament (MCL) in Week 1 of that season and missed the next four games. He then played in three games later that season, only to injure his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in November. The Steelers would miss the playoffs that year and finish an atypical 9-7.
While some Steelers fans might be looking for the closest bridge to leap from, thinking about Antonio Brown missing significant time this season, you might want to calm down on the curse talk. Superstitious or not, the curse of the Madden cover is far from a certainty.
Madden 18 had Tom Brady on the cover, and Brady didn’t suffer an injury, nor did he miss a single game all year.
However, when Rob Gronkowski was the cover boy on the Madden 17 game, things certainly didn’t go his way. That season, Gronk ended up on Injured Reserve after battling hamstring and back issues all season.
Either way, the Madden Curse pertains solely to injuries, and it’s only a ‘thing’ if you’re a superstitious person. With that said, do you still fear the worst for Brown, or do you think this is nothing but poppycock? Let us know in the comment section below!