Interviews
Darren McFadden Notches Cover Of NCAA Football 09
April 10, 2008
Life ain’t too bad for Darren McFadden. The former Arkansas Razorback running back blew Adrian Peterson’s 40-yard dash time at the combine and is just about a lock for the number one pick and more cash than 99.9% of the planet will ever see. EA made him their number one pick when they tapped McFadden for the cover of the Xbox 360 version of NCAA Football 09. Click the jump for our interview.
When did it finally hit you that you were going to be a multimillionaire and insanely rich?
For me, I still don’t think it’s hit me yet. I feel like I’m the same person and I’m just playing football. I don’t think it’s hit me yet.
An average person would see that kind of money as a dream. Are there any negative impacts?
It’s going to bring a lot of problems along with that, but everything else is an upside so it’s something I’m looking forward to.
What’s the first thing you’re going to buy?
I don’t know yet. I’m sure over the next couple of months I’ll be thinking about that real hard.
Adrian Peterson had a monster workout at the combine last year and you beat his 40-yard time. Did that mean anything to you personally?
I can’t say it did, but I know he’s a great running back and he had a great NFL rookie season and that’s something that I want to come into the NFL and try to do.
Would you rather juke a tackle for a touchdown or run over a defensive back to cross goal line?
(Long pause.) I like to go through them more.
Even though there’s no NCAA Football curse, what are your thoughts on the Madden curse that has sidelined so many cover athletes in recent years?
It’s something that I just believe is a superstition. Guys who get on the cover of Madden may think about the curse and that’s how their mind frame is and they think like that. If I was on the cover, I wouldn’t think like that. I’d just still be out there playing ball.
Growing up as a football player you probably dreamed of winning a Super Bowl or set that as a goal. Is getting the cover of a videogame a similar goal kids talk about?
I think a lot of kids think more about winning ball games and stuff like that and maybe being in a video game, not being on the cover of one. That was something growing up that I always wanted to be in a video game but never dreamed of being on the cover of one. It’s just a great honor to be on the cover of a videogame.
Is it going to be a big deal for you to see your likeness in Madden NFL 09 when you fire that up this summer?
I can’t say it’s going to be a big deal, but it’s something that I’m going to be happy to see because that means I’ve made it to the NFL and now I’m trying to turn myself into a good football player in the NFL.
Does anyone in college football play NCAA Football or is it all strictly Madden?
For me, personally, NCAA was my favorite. Some guys liked Madden, but for the most part, NCAA was more popular because we were able to play against teams you were familiar with and against players from different schools that you might know on a personal level. I think those are the main reasons guys like the NCAA game more.
If you could pick the team that drafts you, where would you go?
I don’t know, really. I don’t have any one team. I just look at it as wherever I go I’m going to play ball.
–John Gaudiosi
Tags: Darren McFadden, EA, football, NCAA 09, outrageous amounts of cash, sports
