The first NFL player to be on a Madden NFL cover was Barry Sanders in 1999, for Madden 2000. He shared the cover with the then-customary picture of John Madden. However, a week before training camp began in 1999, Sanders abruptly retired - ending his career and leaving the Detroit Lions without their star running back of the previous 10 years. Sanders' part in the curse is debated because he is not pictured alone on the box, and he had willingly retired.
Dorsey Levens was featured on the 2000 cover that was released in PAL regions. After rushing for 1034 yards in 1999, he gained only 224 yards from scrimmage in 2000. Ultimately, Levens was cut by the Green Bay Packers in 2001, and retired, as a Packer, in 2004, as a journeyman who had 1-season stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants.
Eddie George, then of the Tennessee Titans, who graced the 2001 box, was the second 'cursed' player. Although he had the best year of his career, rushing for 1,509 yards, catching 50 passes for 453 yards and scoring 16 total touchdowns, he was cursed by bobbling a pass in the playoffs. The pass was then intercepted, ironically, by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who returned the ball for a touchdown. George, known for his durability, would also get injured the following season. After regularly averaging nearly 4 yards per carry in his first five seasons and rushing for over 1,300 yards in each one, he averaged only 3 yards per carry and rushed for career lows of 939 yards and 5 touchdowns in the 2001 season. For the rest of his career, he never averaged more than 3.5 yards per carry, but did rush for over 1,000 yards twice and scored 14 touchdowns in 2002.
Former Minnesota Vikings star quarterback Daunte Culpepper appeared on the 2002 cover, and the Vikings struggled to a 4-7 record until Culpepper was shelved with a season-ending knee injury, which unfortunately ended a very good season for Culpepper.
RB Marshall Faulk of the Rams, who was on the 2003 box, suffered an ankle injury, missing six games. He never broke through the 1,000 yards rushing mark for the rest of his career.
Very shortly after Madden 2004 was released featuring Falcons quarterback Michael Vick on the cover, Vick was injured during a preseason game, suffering a fractured right fibula. Vick played in only the last 5 regular season games, finishing with only 585 yards passing and 4 touchdowns. The Atlanta Falcons missed the playoffs and were already out of contention by the time Vick returned from his injury. They finished the season with 5 wins and 11 losses, a stark contrast to the team's 9-6-1 record the season prior.
Madden 2005 featured Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens. He broke his wrist, an injury that kept him out of the last game of the regular season. It was also Lewis' first season without a single interception, after posting a career-high 6 the previous year. The Baltimore Ravens also failed to make the playoffs that season (2004), after winning their division the year before. Furthermore, in Week 6 the following year, Ray Lewis' season was ended by an injury.
The Eagles' star quarterback McNabb was on the cover of Madden NFL 06. Prior to the 2005 season, McNabb had a highly-publicized feud with his teammate, wide receiver Terrell Owens. Also, in the first game of the regular season, McNabb took a hit to the chest from the helmet of Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Chad Lavalais. After the game, it was revealed that McNabb had a 'sports hernia'
that needed surgery. Refusing to have the required season-ending surgery while the Eagles still had a chance to make the playoffs, McNabb played in discomfort and pain throughout the season. In the tenth game of the season, McNabb re-injured his groin when shoved to the ground by Dallas linebacker Bradie James while McNabb was attempting to tackle Dallas Cowboys defensive back Roy Williams, who was returning an interception for an eventual game-winning touchdown. McNabb did play the next series but was ineffective and then decided to pack it in for the rest of the season. On November 21, 2005, McNabb, on the advice of his doctors, opted to have season-ending surgery for his sports hernia; the Eagles had been eliminated from playoff contention and finished the year with a 6-10 record, due to an enormous amount of injuries and locker room problems.
Madden NFL 07 cover-athlete and reigning-MVP Shaun Alexander of the Seattle Seahawks suffered an injury from a chipped bone in his left foot which he recieved during the first game of the season against the Detroit Lions. Alexander decided to play through the pain and his foot didn't bother him again until the week 3 game against the New York Giants. The Monday following Seattle's victory, Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren said that a bone scan revealed Alexander sustained a "small crack" and "displaced fracture" on a non-weight-bearing bone in his foot.
(Quelle: wikipedia)
Manche Fans behaupten, dass es Spielern nie Glück gebracht hat, wenn sie auf das Madden Cover kamen (um das zu beurteilen bin ich weder lange genug Footballfan noch habe ich Ahnung wer schon einmal das Cover zierte 
). Zumindest hatte R. Lewis schon bessere Jahre als das vergangene! 
