Gronk is the latest potential Madden Curse victim

The Madden Curse probably isn’t real… but it’s always interesting to see what happens after EA Sports reveals their annual Madden NFL cover-athlete.

Anyway, Rob Gronkowski, the popular New England Patriots Tight End, was chosen to grace the cover (as you can see above) of Madden NFL 17.  Even though we’re pretty sure they won’t need it, we’re wishing him and the Patriots good luck. Unless of course you absolutely hate New England, and are hoping/praying the curse is legit.

See the first video of Madden NFL 17 in action along with the cover-athlete reveal announcement below. Madden NFL 17 is hitting last and current gen consoles on August 23rd.

Madden 17 First Look Trailer:

Today Electronic Arts Inc. officially unveiled the Madden NFL 17 cover art, featuring New England Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski. EA and ESPN jointly revealed the cover live during the 6pm ET/3pm PT edition of SportsCenter, alongside a video debuting this year?s game. In Madden NFL 17, players on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 can take their team all the way with new gameplay features that elevate the ground game, arming teams for success on both sides of the ball.

?It?s great to finally be able to share with the world that Gronk will be joining our cover fraternity,? said Josh Rabenovets, Senior Director of Global Marketing at EA SPORTS. ?He?s one of the most fun, dominant and exciting players in the league, and it?s awesome to feature the famed Gronk Spike on the Madden NFL 17 cover.?

Gronkowski is one of the most decorated tight ends in the NFL, holding the season record for most touchdowns by a tight end in a season, as well as a four-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl Champion. He?s widely regarded as one of the most physically dominant players in the league, and was the highest-rated tight end in Madden NFL 16.

?It?s a really special honor to appear on the cover of Madden NFL 17,? said Gronkowski. ?It?s one of those things that pretty much every guy in the league secretly dreams of, so to actually be the one on the cover, it?s a really big deal.?

EA also released a Madden NFL 17 video today showcasing Gronkowski and the first of several new features for next-gen consoles in this year?s game. Fans can check out the Madden NFL 17 website to learn more about improvements to the ground game, including a new path assist feature, new defensive AI and expansion of ball carrier special moves, which give players new creative controls on the ground, all of which are featured on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of the game.

EA Access* members can try Madden NFL 17 before it?s released for a limited time as part of a Play First Trial, only on Xbox One.

Madden NFL 17 is developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon and will be available for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 on August 23. To learn more about Madden NFL 17, visit http://www.easports.com/madden-nfl.

All player participation has been facilitated by NFL Players Inc., the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA).