Rob Gronkowski spikes his way onto the cover of Madden 17
Make that two covers Rob Gronkowski has landed on Thursday. Though this one might be a notch above GQ in terms of football prestige.
The Patriots tight end will grace the cover of Madden NFL 17. It was first announced Thursday evening on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
GRONK. SPIKE.
Introducing the cover of #Madden17! pic.twitter.com/iCZUwIAuYO
— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) May 12, 2016
Gronkowski is both the first tight end and the first Patriots player to be featured on the cover of the EA Sports football video game.
Last year, Gronkowski nearly made the cover of Madden 16, but lost in a fan vote to New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. This year, EA Sports took the decision into their own hands, the first time since 2010 they did not hold a fan vote.
Following the announcement Thursday, EA Sports also released the first official trailer for Madden NFL 17, which features video-game Gronkowski scoring a touchdown on a fake field goal.
On SportsCenter, Gronkowski said making the cover was “surreal.”
“I’ve been close to being on the cover of Madden. Last year, I lost to Odell; he’s an excellent player,” the 27-year-old said, per ESPN. “When I found out that I was truly going to be on the cover, it was a great feeling.”
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=15522603&categoryid=5595394
And while some Patriots may fear the dreaded “Madden Curse” striking down their oft-injured star, Gronkowski told SportsCenter he isn’t worried.
“It’s definitely reversed itself from back in the day,” Gronkowski said. “You have to look at the players that were on it recently. You have Odell, who had an unbelievable year last year. You have Richard Sherman, who went to the Pro Bowl the year he was on it. Calvin Johnson, who broke the receiving record when he was on the cover.”
But then again, Peyton Hillis said he wasn’t worried, either. And look how that went.
Just kidding, Gronk should be fine.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com