Source: Gaming industry news site GameDaily.

　　What we heard: It used to be that Madden NFL cover duties would be a simple affair. A gridiron grunt would perform well, EA Sports would offer that player a pile of cash to appear on the cover of its game, and then the superstar would sit out the following season with a debilitating injury. Clean, simple, easy.

　　This year, however, EA Sports has thrown a monkey wrench in its well-oiled machine for all its football franchises. Rather than selecting a single cover star for NCAA Football 09, EA has opted to cover individual editions with a different athlete, with Darren McFadden gracing the Xbox 360, Ryan on the PS3 edition, Michigan State's mascot Sparty for the Wii, and others to come.

　　Confusion has also arisen over NFL Head Coach 09. When the game was initially announced in February, EA said that Colts skipper Tony Dungy would be featured front and center. However, Dungy's cover was called into question when EA said that Head Coach would be available only as part of the $90 collector's edition of Madden NFL 09, and the muddled scenario wasn't resolved until earlier this week, when EA caved to fan outcry and said that Head Coach would see a stand-alone release.

　　Now, rumors are being bandied about concerning who will cover the flagship edition of EA's football franchises, Madden NFL 09. According to a report on GameDaily, cover duties will go to Green Bay Packers maestro Brett Favre. How did the gaming site arrive at this conclusion? EA has said on the game's official Facebook page that the cover athlete will be officially announced tomorrow, and Brett Favre is expected to appear on the Late Show With David Letterman tonight. GameDaily appears to be assuming that EA will unveil the game's cover athlete in much the same way it attempted to announce on Jimmy Kimmel Live that Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young would cover Madden NFL 08.

　　As one of the most widely recognized players in the league and orchestrator of the Packers' Cinderella run to the NFC Championship game last year, Favre is a natural choice for the cover. However, there's just one problem: Brett Favre is no longer a professional football player. In March, the iron man QB said he would be retiring from the game, and handed the reins over to Berkeley alum Aaron Rodgers after a 15-year run.

　　That's not to say that EA might not consider Favre. This year being the 20th anniversary for EA's perennial best-seller, the publishing house may choose to honor one of football's greatest living players with the milestone cover. Plus, there are worse ways to avoid the whole Madden Cover Curse controversy than electing a man who won't be near a pro pigskin on Sundays this fall.

　　The official story: EA Sports had not responded to requests for comment as of press time. However, suave EA Sports president Peter Moore posted on his company blog earlier today that he is in New York "in line for tonight's taping of The Late Show With David Letterman."

　　Bogus or not bogus?: Not bogus.

　　[UPDATE] Well, that didn't take long. It's true.