John Madden, who was an NFL coach, broadcaster and video game impresario, died Tuesday at age 85
, a prop that only added to his allure. “He was unbelievably observant,” says Michaels. “Part of what made John so fascinating to me was he saw parts of the country that those of us who grew up in cities, or live on either coast, don’t see. You don’t see the farmers, you don’t see the people who work in the fields in Kearney, Nebraska. John was able to traverse the country so many times, he’d connect with those people.
And after stepping away from broadcasting in 2009, Madden remained the conscience of football. In a surprising turn, the man who long celebrated football’s violence with his on-air sound effects became a leading advocate for safety. During a 2014 appearance on the NFL Network ostensibly touting the NFL’s Heads Up program that teaches kids how to tackle correctly, Madden told a panel—that included Goodell—”I don’t believe in it.
“I’m a firm believer that there’s no way that a 6-year-old should have a helmet on and learn a tackling drill,” Madden“There’s no way. Or a 7-year-old or an 8-year-old. They’re not ready for it. Take the helmets off kids. “Start at 6 years old, 7 years old, 8 years old, 9 years old. They don’t need helmets—they can play flag football. And with flag football you can get all the techniques. Why do we have to start with a 6-year-old who was just potty trained a year ago and put a helmet on him and tackle? I have no idea. We’ll eventually get to tackling.”
Even his chiding of the NFL was rooted in a love of the game. It came through every Sunday, when he was analyzing, say, how the Giants were going to deployto celebrate their Super Bowl XXI win. “One’s going to go [Giants coach Bill] Parcells,” Madden said, drawing a line from the bucket to the sideline. “One’s going to go to another assistant. And one will go to a player, later in the game.
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