The NFL is honoring John Madden in a special manner this thanksgiving. This is a new tradition going forward that will occur every thanksgiving.
The league is honoring the late Madden in many different ways. This will be great to see the iconic NFL figure honored as he impacted so many during his time spent with the game. From coaching to broadcasting, to the Madden video game franchise. There isn’t a single football player at any level that wasn’t impacted by the contributions of Madden.
The inaugural “John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration” kicks off Thursday, November 24th. This first game between the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions will feature special broadcast tributes in honor of Madden. The tributes will continue into the other Thanksgiving Day games along with a recording of Madden to kick off each game.
In addition, the NFL will honor Madden in the following ways:
- Each player will have a sticker on the back of their helmet of John Madden.
- Madden logo at both 25-yard lines
- $10,000 donation to a youth football program
- Each game will select a “Madden player of the game”
- Madden-related audio and video programs all week leading up to the Thanksgiving games
- A special Madden 23 video game competition called “Game before the game”
- Madden-related AR lens on NFL Instagram and Snapchat social media accounts
When did John Madden die?
John Madden passed away on December 28th, 2021 at 85 years old. The death was reported as unexpected by the Madden family.
After the death of John Madden, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued a strong statement on the amazing impact the Superbowl-winning coach had. .
On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to Virginia, Mike, Joe and their families. We all know him as the Hall of Fame coach of the Oakland Raiders and broadcaster who worked for every major network, but more than anything, he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. Nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football. He was an incredible sounding board to me and so many others. There will never be another John Madden, and we will forever be indebted to him for all he did to make football and the NFL what it is today.
