Five-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady was just selected to appear on the cover of "Madden 18."
It should be a great honor, but it probably has some New England Patriots fans nervous about the "Madden curse."
For those who are unaware, there's a superstition that appearing on the cover of "Madden" will spoil that player's next season or even their whole career. And there is some evidence to back it up.
"Since 2001, 13 different 'Madden' cover starts have missed at least part of the season, while others have seen their production dip or their teams suffer shocking ends to the season," an ESPN anchor said on "SportsCenter."
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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick broke his leg during his cover season and later spent time in prison for his involvement in a dogfighting ring.
Seattle running back Shaun Alexander saw his productivity plummet after appearing on the "Madden" 2007 cover.
Brett Favre graced the "Madden" 2009 cover as a Green Bay Packer. But after retiring, then un-retiring, he was traded to the New York Jets. And he played well before tearing his biceps.
Richard Sherman played great the year he was on the cover, but his Seahawks choked at the end of the Super Bowl.
And the current cover athlete, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, missed this year's Super Bowl because of back surgery. He still gets a ring, though.
Before New England fans break out the four-leaf clovers, it's important to remember that football is a physical game and injuries will happen.
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And plenty of other NFL superstars like Calvin Johnson and Ray Lewis had terrific seasons as "Madden" cover athletes.
Even though Brady will be 40 years old during the upcoming season, he doesn't seem too worried about getting jinxed.
"There's no such thing as curses," Brady said in a Facebook video. "It's a total myth, OK? I feel you're not really getting it. See? All good."
