The "Madden Curse" Strikes Again!!

A videogame and NFL injuries, how are they at all related? That is a question people have been asking for many years now, as NFL stars have become "cover-boys" for one of the biggest videogames out there today. There has to be some truth to the "curse," seeing that it dates all the way back to 2001. John Madden himself no was the man who graced the cover for the first few years of the games existence. After just a few years of being on the cover, Madden went another direction by putting players on the cover. In 2001, Titans Running Back Eddie George was the first athlete to dawn the cover, and while George did not suffer an injury like most on the cover, he fumbled in a playoff game which ended up being the deciding factor in the game. In 2002 Daunte Culpepper the Quarterback for the Vikings, threw 23 interceptions, set the single season fumble record, and later went on to blow out both knees. Hall of Fame Running Back Marshall Faulk was on the cover in '03 and fought knee injuries, later leading to reconstructive knee surgery. 2004 was no different, Michael Vick was on the cover and broke his leg in the pre-season. Ravens great Ray Lewis was the man in '05 and missed time due to a wrist injury. The list goes on and on with the likes of: McNabb, Shaun Alexander, Vince Young, Brett Favre, Troy Polamalu, Larry Fitzgerald, and Drew Brees in 2011. This year the curse was continued...


                                       

Cleveland Browns Running Back Peyton Hillis, was the first from the Browns franchise to ever be on the cover. It was a fan vote in the offseason that got him this honor. In interviews prior to the season Hillis said he would not let the curse get to him, he was wrong. Hillis has been unable to stay on the field this year with an array of injuries. It just goes to show that the Madden Curse has struck again.