Many have dismissed the Madden Curse as nothing more than coincidence, but others feel there is something to be said for the continued list of misfortunes that have fallen upon several players that have graced the cover of Electronic Arts' Madden series in the last decade.
Until 1999, John Madden had appeared on the cover of each game, but that all changed when EA selected Garrison Hearst as their cover athlete that year. Hearst proceeded to have an excellent season, until it was cut short when he suffered a broken ankle in the divisional playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons. The injury sidelined Garrison for the next two seasons. The 2000 cover selection was Barry Sanders, who surprised the league by announcing his retirement before the following season ever began. In 2001 Eddie George was on the cover, and while he didn't suffer an injury, he failed to reach 1000 yards rushing and Tennessee went 7-9, missing the playoffs. Daunte Culpepper missed four games with an injury in 2001 after being on the cover of Madden 2002. Michael Vick broke his leg in 2003, missing 11 games after his selection as the cover for Madden 2004. In 2005 Donovan Mcnabb succumbed to a hernia and missed the rest of the season after week 9. Shaun Alexander was out for six regular season games with a broken foot the same year he was on the game's cover.
It only took one game into the 2009 NFL season before Madden NFL 10 co-cover athlete Troy Polamalu was injured. During last night's dramatic game with the Titans, #43 went down with a sprained MCL after a blocked field goal by the Steelers. While the severity of his sprain has not yet been announced, Steelers' coach Mike Tomlin has stated that these types of injuries typically sideline a player anywhere from 3-6 weeks.
Keep in mind that this year's cover also featured Arizona Cardinals sensation Larry Fitzgerald, marking the first time EA put two athletes on the cover of a Madden game. Anyone want to volunteer insurance coverage for Mr. Fitzgerald, I didn't think so.
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