Silly Madden 17 Video Stars Gronk, Jokes About Madden Curse

New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski became just the latest player to go down with an injury after being named the cover star for a Madden game when he hurt his back this season. The "Madden Curse" strikes again? Maybe. Whatever the case, EA and Gronk appear to be taking it in stride.

His on-field season with the first-place Patriots is over, but No. 87 is staying busy off the field. Here's a silly Madden NFL 17 video in which the Curse comes to life in a weird way--check it out:

"I don't believe in the curse," the pro football player told Esquire earlier this year. "I've never really believed in that type of stuff. And Odell [Beckham] last year, with the year he had. Calvin Johnson beat the receiving record when he was on the cover. Richard Sherman went to the Pro Bowl the year he was on it. So I believe all that's in the way past. Now it's future time."

Real or not, the Madden Curse was eerily consistent years ago. In 2009, Madden NFL 10 co-cover star Troy Polamalu suffered a knee injury in the second quarter of the season opener. After a string of injuries, 2007 cover star Shaun Alexander went from the NFL's Most Valuable Player to being a backup running back in just two years.

The list goes on: Madden NFL 06 cover athlete Donovan McNabb suffered a season-ending hernia halfway through the year. Finally, 2004 cover athlete Michael Vick missed most of the subsequent season due to a major leg injury.

This story has been updated.