After starting with 32 possibilities, fan voting for the cover athlete of Madden NFL 12 has been narrowed down to two final candidates: Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick.
Hillis’ run has been a surprising one; he certainly was not the favorite on his side of the bracket as he had to go through Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers to make it this far. Rodgers had a sensational playoff run while leading the Packers to a Super Bowl title (winning Super Bowl MVP in the process), yet Hillis earned 61% of the vote in their head-to-head match-up. Apparently there are others, like myself, who are amused by watching him try to hold onto the ball with his enormous biceps.
His opponent in the finals, Michael Vick, caused some controversy last month — activists demanded that he be removed from the voting due to his past crimes involving dog fighting. EA Sports President Peter Moore countered by stating, “We believe that Michael Vick, as the runner-up in MVP for the league and the comeback player of the year, deserved his slot.” Speaking directly to the urging of PETA to remove Vick from the bracket, he added, “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.”
