EA Sports last night named Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski the cover athlete for “Madden NFL 17." The announcement led the 6:00pm ET edition of "SportsCenter," continuing a longtime partnership between EA Sports and ESPN. The timing of the cover reveal deviated from prior years in which the announcement was often held until much later in the program. Gronkowski finished second last year to Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. in the fan vote for the “Madden NFL 16” cover, but EA Sports this year eliminated the vote. The game will be released on Aug. 23 (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer). Gronkowski said it was a "surreal moment” when he heard he was on the cover, noting in the past he had been "close to being on the cover." He said, "It was a feel-good moment for sure to know that you're going to be on the cover of 'Madden' with in the category of so many elite players out there that have been on it before” ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 5/12). ESPN BOSTON's Mike Reiss noted Gronkowski follows Beckham, Richard Sherman, Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson and Peyton Hillis as players "featured after winning cover votes." Meanwhile, Gronkowski noted he "isn't worried about the 'Madden curse' creeping up" this season (ESPNBOSTON.com, 5/12). He added if he was worried about the curse, he "wouldn't have accepted the cover" ("Jimmy Kimmel Live," ABC, 5/12).
SUMMER'S COMING: The videogame franchise is not the only cover Gronkowski will appear on, and he will be "on the front of GQ magazine along with model Hailey Clauson." The magazine cover is "another Gronkowski trademark: He's partying it up, shirtless, with a bikini-wearing Clauson on his shoulders" (WORCESTER TELEGRAM, 5/13). ABC's Jimmy Kimmel on Thursday showed one picture from the GQ photo shoot in which Gronkowski appears naked, but he assured viewers he was not. Gronkowski: "I had this Speedo on, and it was so uncomfortable, man. I would have rather been nude because the Speedo was so uncomfortable. It was so tight. I never wear anything like that, and I had it pulled up and they kept getting mad. They’re like, ‘Pull it down a little bit’" ("Jimmy Kimmel Live," ABC, 5/12).
