Madden Curse

Originated in 2001 when EA started putting cover shots of famous football stars on the cover of Madden NFL videogames. Every player to be on the cover since then has had a season ending injury and/or a losing streak. Examples: Madden 2001 cover: Eddie George, Titans RB Before cover: The Titans reached the Super Bowl the prior season and George had gone to three consecutive Pro Bowls. After cover: George made the Pro Bowl in 2000, but averaged 3.2 yards per carry in 2001 and 2002 and the Titans haven't been back to the Super Bowl. Madden 2002 cover: Daunte Culpepper, Vikings QB Before cover: Culpepper threw 33 TD passes and led team to the NFC championship game. After cover: Culpepper missed five games in 2001 with a knee injury, threw a league-high 23 interceptions in 2002; the Vikings have gone 11-21 since 2000. Madden 2003 cover: Marshall Faulk, Rams RB Before cover: Faulk had become the first player in NFL history to gain 2,000 yards from scrimmage in four consecutive seasons; the Rams had been to three straight postseasons. After cover: Plagued by an ankle injury, Faulk started a career-low 10 games as the Rams missed the playoffs. Madden 2004 cover: Michael Vick, Falcons QB Before cover: He was on a roll coming into the year, having set four NFL records in the 2002 season and established a reputation as one of the games' most electrifying players. After cover: Early in the 2003 pre-season, Vick broke his leg in the first quarter of a game against the Baltimore Ravens. He was out for the first 11 games of the season.

A guide into the Madden Curse: disecting the most prominent athletes who were devestated by the Madden Curse and how a video game cover altered careers.

EA Sports has announced that Terrell Owens, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (albeit in absentia) in August, will appear on...

Being on the cover is both a gift and a curse.

On Wednesday, it was officially announced that Antonio Brown will grace the cover of Madden NFL 19. Brown will look to avoid the Madden Curse, a curse that dates back to 2001, when the video game started putting current players on their cover.

The Madden Curse, also known as the Madden Cover Jinx, is a conjecture involving the video game series Madden NFL, stating that the season a player appears on the cover, that player will be cursed with either an injury or poor performance. Before 1998, the cover included only an image of John...

Since the San Francisco 49er’s Garrison Hearst broke his ankle after being named Madden ‘99’s cover athlete, rumors have circulated of a “curse.”

Every year since 1998, EA Sports has featured at least one NFL player on the front of its game

Join us as we take a tour through the history of the Madden Curse. We all know John Madden is a longtime NFL talent, but is he also an agent of dark forces?