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Andy Nesbitt

NFL players and fans react to the death of the John Madden

John Madden, the legendary NFL coach, announcer, and namesake for one of the greatest sports video games of all time died unexpectedly Tuesday morning at the age of 85, the league announced in a statement tonight.

Madden was an absolute legend in everything that he did and his amazing life story was beautifully told just a few days ago in a must-watch documentary that aired on Fox before the Browns-Packers Christmas Day Game.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement:

“Nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football. He was an incredible sounding board to me and so many others. There will never be another John Madden, and we will forever be indebted to him for all he did to make football and the NFL what it is today.”

Here is the NFL’s complete statement:

NFL legend John Madden died unexpected this morning. He was 85. pic.twitter.com/FoC1mAzoF6

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 29, 2021

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had released this statement:

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in statement: "I am not aware of anyone who has made a more meaningful impact on the National Football League than John Madden, and I know of no one who loved the game more. …There is no one who lived a more beautiful football life than John Madden." https://t.co/YCPSgCHxVZ pic.twitter.com/5RsnYtLNPD

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) December 29, 2021

The NFL world paid its tributes to Madden:

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