This year EA Sports is holding a March Madness style tournament to determine the
Madden 11 cover athlete. The event started with 32 players (one from each team) and the voting has moved (along with the 16 winners) into round 2. However, the Philadelphia Eagles player representative (Michael Vick) is being targeted by PETA to be removed from the tourney for obvious reasons.
According to ProFootballTalk.com, EA Sports president Peter Moore basically stated that Vick “served his time” and the his 2010 season alone merit him being in the tourney. Considering Vick was MVP runner-up and comeback player of the year, Moore is dead on with is assessment. In my opinion, PETA needs to move on and spend their vast energy and resources on people and problems that haven’t already paid their debt to society.
BTW, if Vick were to win, he would be the first two-time cover athlete having previously graced the Madden cover in 2004. That year he had a decent enough season (including two playoff games and a pro-bowl appearance) to consider the Madden curse not invoked.