The prayers of Chargers fans everywhere to keep LT off the cover of Madden NFL 08 have been heard - instead this year’s curse of Madden falls to Titans QB Vince Young.
LT off the hook, Young will break, or suffer from the curse of Madden.
Young’s newly appointed cover athlete status was announced pre-maturely by John Madden himself on his KCBS radio show .
"Vince Young is going to be on the cover…why, is that not out yet…did I just let something out of the bag?" Madden said yesterday morning when asked about the rumors.
The announcemnet was to have been made on the Jimmy Kimmel show later yesterday night when Kimmel would reveal the box art.
When jibed about the curse, Madden said he's never heard from a player on the cover complaining about the curse, adding: "We had one version where I was on the cover, so I was thinking if you admit there is something to it, then it's going to get you if you're on the cover, so I had to pooh-pooh it."
The Tennessee Titans quarterback’s appearance on the cover of Madden NFL 08 makes him the youngest NFL Madden cover athlete.
Madden NFL 08 will be available for purchase beginning August 14.
“It is truly an honor for me to be on the cover of Madden NFL 08, every NFL player dreams of being on the cover,” said Young. “After being named Rookie of the Year and going to the Pro Bowl my first season – this is a perfect way to start my second season in the NFL.”
The "Madden curse" is notorious among both gamers and pro athletes, with several athletes suffering career-stumping injuries or statistically dreadful seasons after appearing on the cover of a Madden NFL game.
Take last year’s Madden cover athlete Shaun Alexander for example, who had his NFL record for rushing touchdowns broken by San Diego's Ladainian Tomlinson (the aforementioned all-pro running back was a strong contender for this year's cover) after breaking his foot.
The year before, Donovan McNabb fought injuries all season long after hitting the cover Madden 06. But who can forget Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who broke his leg shortly after his mug-filled Madden NFL 2004 hit retail.
Time will tell if Madden himself is right and there is no curse, but we’re sure the Titan QB’s odds just changed drastically in Vegas.
Last year’s Madden NFL 07 sold over 7 million copies and was the number one selling game in North America in 2006.
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