Rob Gronkowski, the New England Patriots tight end set to adorn the Madden NFL 17 cover in a few months’ time, has weighed in on the supposed ‘Madden curse’ that affects athletes appearing on EA’s box art.
In an interview with Esquire, Gronkowski rubbished superstitious reports regarding said hex, pointing to examples when fellow footballers featured on the cover only to enjoy relatively successful seasons.
“I don’t believe in the curse. I’ve never really believed in that type of stuff. And Odell [Beckham] last year, with the year he had. Calvin Johnson beat the receiving record when he was on the cover. Richard Sherman went to the Pro Bowl the year he was on it. So I believe all that’s in the way past. Now it’s future time.”
But the Madden curse gets its name for a reason. Seven years ago, NFL 10 cover star Troy Polamalu pulled up in the second half of that particular season with a knee injury, while NFL 06 mascot Donovan McNabb found his season lying in tatters as the result of a hernia more than a decade ago.
Let’s hope it doesn’t rear its head during the upcoming season for Rob Gronkowski, who can be seen in the first-look trailer for this year’s installment up above.
Madden NFL 17 darts for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 on August 23.
