Over the past ten years the “Madden Curseâ€Â has plagued the National Football League, affecting players like Ray Lewis, Eddie George and Michael Vick.

The “Madden Curseâ€Â falls on whoever ends up on the cover of the Madden football video game. The featured player is usually coming off a good season, with the curse striking the following season. Madden cover athletes have faced season-ending injuries, lack of playoff appearances and embarrassment on and off the field.

With the yearly chance to be on the cover of the Madden game, and the chance of the curse, not all players are willing to take advantage of the honor.

LaDainian Tomlinson, the San Diego Chargers star running back, declined the offer to be on the 2008 cover. Perhaps he made a good decision since Tomlinson went on to have a great season, beating the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs.

Vince Young, 2008 cover man, was not quite as fortunate. Young injured his quadriceps and after missing a few games, lost his starting spot on the Tennessee Titans.

Brett Favre, one of the most well known quarterbacks in the NFL, also faced a challenge at the end of last season. After announcing his retirement in 2008, Favre was named Madden’s cover guy.

Retired from football, he had a chance to break the curse. But Favre reinstated in time for pre-season and was back in the NFL only in the different green of the New York Jets. The Jet’s former quarterback, Chad Pennington was then released and picked up by New York Jets division rival, the Miami Dolphins.

Unfortunately for Madden lovers like myself, seeing the curse broken was not going to happen this year.

Playing for the Jets, Favre ended up falling one win short of making the playoffs while Pennington received several satisfactory wins, showing the Jets the caliber of their ex-quarterback throughout the season.

So unfortunately for Brett, he ended his career with a bitter loss. Although he will be in the hall of fame, his last season will taint his career forever.

Whereas last year he could have retired after an honorable season with the Green Bay Packers, he will instead be remembered as losing the last playoff spot to the very quarterback he replaced in New York.

And it is almost that time of year again. Time to pick out who will be the next victim of the “Madden curse.â€Â A few players have stood out this season but my pick would be Larry Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald may even be the elite athlete with the needed ability to break the curse. But maybe not, if we look at Favre.

Under the curse, there’s nothing Brett could have done. The “Madden curseâ€Â has a mind of its own. Good luck to whoever is brave enough to be the next face of Madden. I’ll anxiously be waiting for the release in August when we’ll see if it still lives to strike again.