'Madden NFL 18' latest news: Cover boy Tom Brady defies 'Madden Curse,' calls it a myth

Tom Brady has been selected to appear on the cover of "Madden NFL 18," another addition to his list of accomplishments. The 40-year-old quarterback of the New England Patriots becomes the oldest player to appear on the cover of the popular EA sports video game.

Brady being named as the cover player of "Madden NFL 18" hardly comes as a surprise considering the performance he showed for the New England Patriots at Super Bowl LI. Despite starting the 2016-17 NFL season in the sidelines, things have been falling into place for the Patriots star.

Brady will succeed his teammate Rob Gronkowski who appeared on the cover of "Madden NFL 17." It will mark the first time that teammates have been featured on the cover of the video game in consecutive years.

And while that should be a rare feat, there is a dark side that lurks. This is in reference to the celebrated "Madden Curse," something that dates back to 1999. Players like Gronkowski, Michael Vick and Adrian Peterson fell prey to injuries after being named as the cover of the EA sports video game. "Gronk" was limited to only eight games last season due to a back injury. So is Brady worried about being the next victim?

"I've heard there are some of you out there who might be worried about something called the "Madden Curse," Brady said. "There's no such thing as curses. It’s a total myth," said Brady in a video posted on his Facebook page, which is embedded below.

According to ESPN, the first player to appear on the cover of the video game was San Francisco 49ers running back Garrison Hearst. He eventually ended up breaking his ankle in a playoff loss to Atlanta.

As far as his teammate Gronkowski, Tom Brady said that he doesn't believe the 27-year-old tight end has even been cursed and added that he is in pretty good shape.

Brady added that he does play the video game but ends up playing other teams. The reason behind this is that his nine-year-old son Jack always picks the Patriots, forcing Tom to compete against his own franchise. Among the teams he uses include the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks for their offense and defense, respectively.

As far as his NFL career is concerned, Tom Brady has not shown signs of slowing down. Age will be a factor at some point and injuries are not discounted. And the "Madden Curse?" It is something that Brady brushes away, calling it no more than a myth.