14 DAY TRIAL // When the voting started, there were 32 players that had a chance to end up on the cover of the Madden NFL 12 video game from Electronic Arts, but the fans have whittled the field down to no more than two players, Peyton Hillis, who plays as a running back for the Cleveland Browns, and Michael Vick, the quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Hillis managed to capture the attention of football fans, the ones who are doing the voting, and has beat in a direct vote, with a 61 percent majority, Aaron Rodgers, the man who got the Most Valuable Player title at the Super Bowl while leading the Green Bay Packers.
Michael Vick is a controversial player because of his past, which involves dog fighting and being convicted for taking part in the illegal sport.
He has managed to get on the Madden NFL cover for 2004, before he was disgraced (which might mean that “the Madden curse” took him out of the game for a while).
Since then he has expressed remorse for his actions and has performed admirably for his team.
Michael Moore, who is the president of EA Sports, has addressed the controversy saying that, “We believe that Michael Vick, as the runner-up in MVP for the league and the comeback player of the year, deserved his slot. I'm not here to comment on what he did. I personally believe, and this is personal commentary right now, that Michael served his time. He's had a tremendous season.”
Vick popularity and his comeback story probably mean that he will be the player picked to serve as the cover athlete for Madden NFL 12 and do promotion for it.
The winner of the fan voting contest will be announced in an ESPN show on April 27.
This years Madden launch will probably be delayed by the squabbles between players and team owners.