The Madden Curse’s strange history doesn’t worry Richard Sherman

The 12th man’s very own corner back Richard Sherman bested Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in an intense fight to see who would make the Madden NFL 15 cover last week.

The race started out with candidates like Kansas City Chief Jamaal Charles, Philadelphia Eagle LeSean McCoy, and Pittsburgh Steeler Antonio Brown. Sherman had to be voted into the final round by beating Colin Kaepernick and Andrew Luck.

It’s a great thing to be given a Madden game cover but there are somethings that come along with it.

Bad things.

Superstitious things.

And if you’re a true Seattle Seahawks fan, who has some knowledge about Madden covers, you most likely wanted somebody else to win.

Anybody else.

Here’s the thing. Every year before 1999, John Madden  himself had been gracing the cover of the game and nothing happened to him. EA sports thought it to be cool to put an actual player on there. The first player to be dawned with the crown was Garrison Hearst, the 49ers running back. Hearst was doing what he had to, breaking records and ankles, and had a one way ticket to the Hall of Fame. He was given the honor of being on the cover and he led the 49ers into the playoffs.

Here’s where it gets nasty: he broke his ankle and it was so bad, he missed two full seasons and could never recover.

If you’re thinking its just a coincidence, here’s another one. Vince Young. Yes, Vince Young.

Vince Young entered the NFL with a solid, promising career. He won offensive Rookie of the Year and became a  Pro Bowler in his first season. He was the rising quickly to become a star in the NFL and became the cover guy for Madden NFL 08.

During the season, Young injured his quad which affected his scrambling ability. He missed one game that season, but that’s not where it began. Vince was put on suicide watch, he quit on his team and eventually lost the respect of his teammates. He was released from the Titans, then became a backup for the Eagles. Then he was cut, signed a deal with the Bills and was cut, signed wit the Packers and was cut, and signed with the Browns and was recently cut. He is cursed.

But Richard Sherman, isn’t scared of the curse.

In fact, he doesn’t even believe in it.

“I believe in God,” he says.

Donovan McNabb said the same thing but later that season, he suffered a hernia and groin pull and had to have season-ending surgery.

Even after having a fellow Seahawk, running back Shaun Alexander, be hit with the curse after they made their first Super Bowl appearance, he STILL says he’s not scared.

But if he’s not worried, then I’m not worried either. Lets just think about Calvin Johnson and his record breaking season after he was handed the Madden Cover crown. He tied or broke nine NFL receiving records and led the NFL in receiving yards, flying past Jerry Rice‘s single season mark.

No worries. Right?