Tom Brady Graces Cover Of 'Madden 18 G.O.A.T. Edition'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Tom Brady is already regarded in New England as the GOAT -- or Greatest Of All Time -- but now the whole football world is going to have to share in the celebration.
EA Sports announced Friday that Brady will grace the cover of "Madden 18: G.O.A.T. Edition."
The ????.#Madden18 drops August 25th. Reserve your copy: https://t.co/qMgP03bOWg pic.twitter.com/isbRcevu4F
— Madden NFL 22 (@EAMaddenNFL) May 12, 2017
The game, which will be released for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, will feature Brady along with four other GOATs -- Ray Lewis, Barry Sanders, Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice. The game includes several more features than the standard game.
Brady is also featured prominently in the promotional video for the game.
Madden like you've never seen it...#Madden18 pic.twitter.com/1H5gNSVISD
— Madden NFL 22 (@EAMaddenNFL) May 12, 2017
Brady is also on the cover of the standard edition of "Madden 18." Fellow Patriot Rob Gronkowski was on the cover of "Madden 17" last year.
Historically, presence on the cover of the Madden video game has brought a "curse" along with it. The concept began when Garrison Hearst -- the game's first cover athlete -- suffered a broken ankle in the playoffs after his appearance on the cover of the game. It became a mainstay of popular culture after Michael Vick appeared on the 2004 edition of the game and then fractured his leg in the preseason.
Daunte Culpepper, Ray Lewis, Marshall Faulk, Donovan McNabb, Shaun Alexander, Vince Young and Troy Polamalu also suffered various degrees of injury in the years following their cover appearance.
Last year, Gronkowski suffered a rib/lung injury in the middle of the season and then suffered a herniated disc which required season-ending surgery.
Brady, who will turn 40 this summer, is coming off his fifth Super Bowl victory and fourth Super Bowl MVP Award. He finished second in the league MVP voting, despite missing the first four games of the season.