Antonio Brown to grace the cover of Madden 19
Business is, indeed, boomin’.
Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver Antonio Brown will grace the cover of Madden 19, EA Sports announced Wednesday morning.
The #Madden19 cover is BOOMIN' with @AB84! pic.twitter.com/opOwtw6lUr
— EA SPORTS Madden NFL (@EAMaddenNFL) July 18, 2018
Brown is the second Steeler ever to be on the cover
Brown, who was also featured on the mobile version of the game for the 2016 season, is the second Steeler to be featured on the front cover. Former Pittsburgh star safety Troy Polamalu shared the honor with Larry Fitzgerald on Madden 10.
Brown just celebrated his 30th birthday and is coming off another terrific season. The Central Michigan product led the league with 1,533 receiving yards despite missing two games. He also caught nine touchdowns. Over the past four seasons, Brown has led the league in receiving yards twice, catches twice and yards per game once. Brown also put together a terrific playoff game this season, catching seven passes for 132 yards and two scores despite being limited by a calf injury. Brown also has five career returns for touchdowns.
Brown will also be on the cover of Madden NFL Overdrive on mobile devices. He is currently the highest-paid non-quarterback offensive player in the league at $17 million per season.
Brown: ‘I am beyond honored’
In an official release from EA Sports, Brown expressed his excitement about being the cover athlete.
“I am beyond honored to be on the cover of both Madden games. There’s a lot of milestones athletes dream of, and after being inducted into the Madden 99 Club earlier this year, and now appearing on the cover of this year’s games, it’s clear that business is not just booming, but I’m also among the all-time greatest with these honors.”
Also from the release, Senior Brand Director Joshua Rabenovets had high praise for the Steelers superstar:
“AB has taken the league by storm the past few years and is arguably one of the best wide receivers to ever play in the NFL. His game is hot, he’s got a ton of personality on and off the field – he was an easy choice for the Madden NFL 19 cover.”
Brown was one of seven players with an overall rating of 99, the highest rating a player can get. The others are Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Donald, Von Miller and Luke Kuechly.
Will Brown fall victim to the Madden curse?
While Steelers fans may rejoice their star being on the cover, they’ll also be hoping he doesn’t fall prey to the “Madden curse.” It’s a curse that has afflicted many former cover athletes. Shaun Alexander (Madden 07) broke his foot in Week 3 and was never truly the same, eventually cut from the Seahawks following the 2007 season. Vince Young (Madden 08) earned a cover after a strong rookie season that featured four game-winning drives, but he endured a brutal second season, throwing nine touchdowns to 17 interceptions. Even Polamalu played just five games in 2009 after being on the cover. Peyton Hillis (Madden 12) attributed his downfall to being on the cover. The list goes on and on.
Madden 19 comes out on August 10
The game — which features Terrell Owens (somewhat ironically) on the Hall of Fame edition — comes out on August 10. It will feature interactive touchdown celebrations and a bevy of other upgrades and new features.
More from Yahoo Sports:
• Former Steelers first-round pick Gabe Rivera dies
• Man calls cop after hard foul in pickup basketball
• Terrell Owens might be making a comeback in the CFL
• Cowboys DE Randy Gregory finally reinstated after 18-month suspension
