Madden 22: EA pays homage to legendary coach with heartfelt pop-up screen message

John Madden, a Super Bowl winning NFL coach and later a legendary sports broadcaster has sadly died at the of 85, the league has announced.

EA has paid homage to the namesake of their annual NFL video game with an incredible pop-up screen message in Madden 22.

NFL hero

John Madden famously led the Oakland Raiders to the biggest prize in American Football in 1976 when they won the Super Bowl in California against the Minnesota Vikings.

However, a fear of flying meant he retired from coaching soon after and went on to tackle a career in broadcasting.

To this day he holds the best win record of any coach who has taken charge of more than 100 NFL games.

He was a much-loved American Football pundit, with his voice being heard by millions as he covered weekly NFL games, winning him an astonishing 16 Emmy awards.

Madden worked for most major US networks, spending most of his career at CBS, between 1979 and 1993.

He retired in 2009 after a 30-year broadcasting career, with his final game being that year's Super Bowl, which saw Pittsburgh beat Arizona.

Legend of the game

John Madden is also famously the namesake of the annual NFL video games made by EA - one of the biggest selling sports games of all time!

In 2006 he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where he famously said: "People always ask, 'are you a coach or a broadcaster or a video game guy?'

"I'm a coach, always been a coach."

EA has paid homage to the legendary coach by releasing this amazing pop-up message in Madden 22, which appears for EVERY single player as soon as they load up the game.

The message reads:

"Today, we lost a hero. John Madden was synonymous with the sport of footballl for more than 50 years. His knowledge of the game was second only to his love for it, and his appreciation for everyone that ever stepped on the gridiron. A humble champion, a willing teacher, a forever coach. Our hearts and sympathies go out to John's family, friends, and millions of fans. He will be greatly missed, always remebered, and never forgotten. Thanks, coach."

Madden 22 gameplay trailer

We got our first look at Madden 22 gameplay thanks to the official reveal trailer, and it really set the tone from the start.

On top of that, the reveal trailer revealed the official cover athlete, and this year is a dual cover with Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady sharing the box.