Peyton Hillis and Michael Vick Aim to Win Coveted Honor of Madden NFL 12 Cover Athlete

Today, EA SPORTS and ESPN announced that the two finalists of the Madden NFL 12 Cover Vote campaign, hosted exclusively by ESPN.com and “SportsNation,” are Peyton Hillis (RB, Cleveland Browns) and Michael Vick (QB, Philadelphia Eagles). Over 11 million votes have been cast on ESPN.com’s “SportsNation” during the first four weeks of the Madden NFL 12 Cover Vote campaign (March 21 – April 18).

Results from Round 4 voting included:

  • No. 10 seed Peyton Hillis (RB, Browns) upsetting No. 1 seed Aaron Rodgers (QB, Packers), 61% vs. 39%
  • No. 3 seed Michael Vick (QB, Eagles) advancing over No. 9 seed Adrian Peterson (RB, Vikings), 59% vs. 41%

An underdog entering the voting contest, Hillis has been a fan favorite and continually ousted higher seeded players such as No. 7 seed Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens), No. 2 seed Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons), No. 6 seed Jamaal Charles (Kansas City Chiefs), and No. 1 seed Super Bowl XLV MVP Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers). Through four rounds of voting, Vick has beaten his opponents by an average of 30 percent.

The final round of voting is now open and fans can make their selection exclusively atwww.ESPN.com/MaddenVote to determine if Hillis or Vick will become the next Madden NFL cover athlete. The winner will be unveiled on Wednesday, April 27th at 4pm Eastern and fans can tune in to ESPN’s “SportsNation” for the Madden NFL 12 cover athlete announcement.

Madden NFL 12, which launches on August 30, will provide an immersive and authentic experience that fans have come to expect from the award-winning franchise, including all 32 NFL teams and more than 1,700 NFL players.