Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson was reveaked as the cover star for Electronic Arts pro football simulation Madden NFL 13 during a broadcast of ESPN’s SportsNation.
Johnson beat out 63 other players, including fellow finalist Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers, in a bracket-style tournament to grace the cover of the game, which launches this August for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
The Lions star edged out Newton with 52% of the fan vote, compared to 48% for the Panthers quarterback. More than 19.5 million votes were cast through the course of the tournament.
Johnson capped a huge season for the Lions with a playoff appearance, finishing the regular season with 1,681 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns.
Johnson is the second wide receiver to appear on the cover of Madden. Arizona Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald was on the front of Madden NFL 10, joined by Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.
This is the third year Electronic Arts has opened up the cover of Madden to a fan vote. Previous winners include New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees and Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis, who appeared on the covers of Madden NFL 11 and Madden NFL 12, respectively.
