NFL players and coaches react to the sudden demise of legendary coach John Madden

The NFL world was shocked to hear of the passing of John Madden. While many may have only known John Madden as the name and face of the popular video game franchise, others are aware that he was a legendary coach of the (then) Oakland Raiders from 1969-1978.

Once news of Madden's passing spread across the league, several NFL players tweeted their condolences and tributes to the man who helped shape the lives of many.

NFL Twitter pays respect to the great John Madden

Las Vegas Raiders honor Hall of Fame NFL coach, broadcaster John Madden

Here are tweets from several current and former NFL players on the passing of John Madden:

NFL great Ronnie Lott posted a tweet of himself and John Madden together:

Chris Long paid respects to John Madden along with Madden's longtime broadcast partner Pat Summerall:

Julian Edelman, in his tribute, wrote that to think of NFL is to think of John Madden:

Devin and Jason McCourty tweeted their homage to John Madden:

Mark Ingram tweeted about John Madden's influence on his career, thanking the late head coach for all he did for the game:

Buccaneers defensive back Richard Sherman tweeted his reverence, expressing that he felt honored to be chosen as a Madden video game cover athlete:

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians paid his respects as well:

Arizona Cardinals edge rusher JJ Watt honored John Madden with his words:

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes prayed for the family of John Madden:

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones paid the ultimate respect to the legendary coach, saying that he knew of "no one who loved the game more":

John Madden: The coach, the broadcaster, the video game endorser

John Madden - EA Sports and the Madden Video Game

To know John Madden is to know NFL football. Madden was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969-1978. Under the guidance of legendary Raiders owner Al Davis, Madden led the team to a Super Bowl victory in 1977 over the Minnesota Vikings.

To this day, John Madden has the highest win percentage (.759) among head coaches who have coached at least a minimum of 100 games in NFL history.

After his coaching days, Madden became one of the foremost authorities as a broadcasting analyst. His influence as a broadcaster was far and wide as he worked for CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox networks throughout his illustrious career.

The telestrator, a tool that allows its user to draw diagrams as a freehand sketch, was made popular by John Madden. During his broadcasts, he would use the telestrator to teach viewers about the more intricate details of a play.

In 1981, John Madden was paired with iconic NFL broadcaster Pat Summerall. For 22 seasons, the two legendary icons called games together to make one of, if not the best, television broadcasting duos ever.

Despite his glorious résumé as a head coach and a broadcaster, John Madden is likely known across the globe for one particular thing, and that is the Madden video game franchise.

The Madden football video game has sold over 100 million copies worldwide and has become a popular staple in American culture. The game became known for hosting NFL players on the cover, so it has always been an honor and a privilege for players to be named as a Madden cover athlete.

NFL players who have graced the cover of the Madden game include (but are not limited to) Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson, Brett Favre, Michael Vick and Patrick Mahomes.

From its very first edition in 1988, which appeared on MS-DOS, to the games out now, Madden football helped revolutionize how football video games are played. The video game also taught young kids more about the game of football.

On behalf of SK, thank you John Madden for your many contributions to the game of football.