NFL YouTuber blames Madden 24 for Josh Allen’s Bills alleged fallout with Stefon Diggs - “Madden curse just claimed another victim”

Earlier this month, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was named the cover athlete of Madden NFL 24. Unfortunately for him, the nomination came amidst rumors of a falling out with his top pass-catcher Stefon Diggs

And it has not taken long for a YouTuber to think that the Madden curse is in full effect again.

On Sunday, Tyler Webb posted this short video about the Madden curse, with an emphasis on Allen toward the end. He said:

“The Madden curse just claimed another victim… Josh Allen seems to be the latest victim of the Madden curse with drama brewing at the Bills training camp between the team and Stefon Diggs.”

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What is the Madden Curse? Explaining the phenomenon

The Madden curse is a phenomenon wherein players who grace the cover of the latest installment suffer either injuries or a decline in performance: Some of the most notable instances include:

• Madden 2002: Daunte Culpepper - The Minnesota Vikings went 4-7 before he hurt his knee, ending his season.
• Madden 2004: Michael Vick - He broke his leg the day after being named the cover athlete.
• Madden 06: Donovan McNabb - He sustained multiple injuries and feuded with teammate Terrell Owens.
• Madden 12: Peyton Hillis - He held out over his contract, then played poorly while carrying a litany of injuries.
• Madden 19: Antonio Brown - He was traded to, then cut by the Oakland Raiders. He then played just a single game for the New England Patriots before sexual assault allegations forced him out of Foxboro.

The most notable aversions have been Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, who had plenty of success after gracing the cover. Now Josh Allen will hope he joins those two outliers.

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What has Josh Allen said about the Stefon Diggs situation?

Stefon Diggs was last seen arguing with Josh Allen in January, as the Buffalo Bills were losing at home to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Divisional round. Since then, he has not been working with the team in practices, even when physically present, which has head coach Sean McDermott "very concerned," according to The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia.

Allen responded to the situation with Diggs during the Bills' latest minicamp, defending the wide receiver:

“I know, internally, we are working on some things, not football-related,” Allen said. “(Stefon) is my guy. I f---ing love him. He’s a brother of mine. This does not work, what we’re doing here, without him.”

He also expressed his confidence in resolving any animosity between them:

"I've got no doubt we will figure out what's going on."

And he even hypothesized about ways to do so:

"There are things that I can do better to help out with this process, and try to get him back here and be the Buffalo Bill that he's meant to be... I think, we're just, as an organization, maybe not communicating the right way with everything."