'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAcACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABdAAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABRAAAgMBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBAURAAYiAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEQACAAcBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgADBRFRYXESIf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8Ai5F6zrXbn0GIYcrBy6tiOjXDSvNZnMiM0LhiULc5+n6vlrN1L9ma3F8voyJYkaVHOjUUsHPQSOHhPnnlTFR2f2gayKRfZOOQ6mXlkBHZQZjD5oDPY//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown had the world at his feet in 2018. So much so that he was named the Madden 19 cover athlete. But how we learned that he was on the cover is a rather funny story.
Normally, when player ratings are released for the game, the revealing of the cover player comes shortly after. But when it came to Brown being named, it appears that his father, Eddie Brown Sr., knew about it ahead of time.
Who are the current Super Bowl favorites?
Before it was revealed that AB would be on the Madden cover, his father took to Instagram and spilled the beans. He unknowingly let the entire world know his son was on the cover of the popular video game.
Eddie Brown wrote:
"The look when your son is on the cover of 2019 Madden. God is good."
As it turns out, AB's father was right. His son became the cover athlete for Madden 19. At the time, it was well deserved. Brown was one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.
In 2017, AB amassed 1,533 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He followed that up in 2018 with 1,297 yards and 15 touchdowns. It made a lot of sense for him to be on the cover.
Did Brown suffer from the Madden curse?
The Madden curse is something that most people in NFL circles and the gaming community know about. When a player is put on the cover of the game, their following season ends up being subpar.
The Madden curse is real. Players who grace the cover often see a drop in production or spend a lot of time on the injured reserve. Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady have been the only ones to date to escape the Madden curse.
AB was named as the cover athlete prior to the 2018 season. He followed that up with a season where he totaled 15 touchdowns and over 1,200 receiving yards. So from a stats perspective, the curse didn't affect him.
But as we know, his career spiraled out of control. His tenure with the Steelers career ended on a bad note. He also had several off-field incidents with the Las Vegas Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
So while the Madden curse didn't stop him from putting up numbers, it got to him in another way.
