Before the cover unveiling, the Undefeated's Aaron Dodson caught up with Jackson to Mut 22 coins discuss Jackson's Tecmo Bowl days, how Bo Knows came to life in his Madden return, and much more.
Edited for clarity and clarity.
What does it mean for you that you are finally a player on the cover for the sport, 35 years after your career began?
The idea has been in the making on and off for many years. The time had to be suitable for my business. I worked with the Madden team to work things out check all the i's and cross the t's- once we got that done, everything else was just a matter of going for it. I knew that, somewhere in my history I had done something right to be regarded as one of the greatest sportsmen from more than 30 years ago. Madden isn't convinced enough of me to make a decision like this.
Your history with video games goes back to 1989 when you were the mainstay of Tecmo Bowl. What was it like watching yourself from the back of your mind?
I still see myself I can still see myself Tecmo Bowl. I've still got that video game. I've got the machine in which to run it. But it's hidden in a container stored somewhere. It's iconic. It feels good to know knowing that I have grown-ups in their 40s who say"Hey, my cousin and I were involved in the most intense conflict of our lives, because we both wanted to be you in Tecmo Bowl when we were young. Our parents then took the game and my dad locked the game in his tool cabinet. It was not playable for a whole month since the fight was so intense. I hear that often. When I attend sports memorabilia shows, people will come up with this video game. They'll tell you, "I've owned the device to play it on. My kids play it. My grandkids also play it ... in fact, everyone continues to cheap Madden nfl 22 coins argue about who is going to end up being Bo Jackson.' Tecmo Bowl ... that was a lot of technology in the early days. If you look it up now and think, "Wow this is a classic.'