Steelers' Antonio Brown graces cover of 'Madden 19'

Vinnie Iyer

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Steelers' Antonio Brown graces cover of 'Madden 19' image

Antonio Brown can add one more accolade to his glorious NFL career: video game cover athlete. EA Sports announced Wednesday that Brown will grace the front of "Madden NFL 19," which will be available worldwide for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on Aug. 10.

Brown is the 20th NFL player and the fourth wide receiver to be honored with a "Madden" cover since 2000. He is the first Steeler to get the nod in nine years; safety Troy Polamalu shared the "Madden 10" cover with Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald months after Pittsburgh defeated Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII. Between Fitzgerald and Brown, Calvin Johnson and Odell Beckham Jr got individual covers as receivers.

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For gamers who can't wait to go to work with a virtual Brown in 2018, EA Access and Origin Access members will be able to demo "Madden 19" on Xbox One and Origin for PC for 10 hours on Aug. 2. Hall of Fame edition owners can get full access to the game Aug. 7.

Brown follows the Patriots' Tom Brady, who was a perfect choice for the cover of the "Madden 18" G.O.A.T Edition. Brown was long overdue for a cover as the NFL's reigning best wide receiver for five seasons.

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Brown had 101 catches for 1,533 yards and 9 TDs in only 14 games last season. He led the league with an average of 109.5 receiving yards per game.

Brown also matches Brady with a maximum 99 player rating for "Madden 19." They're keeping elite company with Aaron Donald, Rob Gronkowski, Luke Kuechly, Von Miller and Aaron Rodgers.

Vinnie Iyer

Vinnie Iyer Photo

Vinnie Iyer, has been with TSN since 1999, not long after graduating from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He has produced NFL content for more than 20 years, turning his attention to full-time writing in 2007. A native of St. Louis, Mo. but now a long-time resident of Charlotte, N.C. Vinnie’s top two professional sports teams are Cardinals and Blues, but he also carries purple pride for all things Northwestern Wildcats. He covers every aspect of the NFL for TSN including player evaluations, gambling and fantasy football, where he is a key contributor. Vinnie represents TSN as host of the “Locked On Fantasy Football” podcast on the Locked On network. Over his many years at TSN, he’s also written about MLB, NBA, NASCAR, college football, tennis, horse racing, film and television. His can’t-miss program remains “Jeopardy!”, where he was once a three-day champion and he is still avid about crossword puzzles and trivia games. When not watching sports or his favorite game show, Vinnie is probably watching a DC, Marvel or Star Wars-related TV or movie.