NFL Stars Compete For EA Sports' Madden Bowl XV Championship

January 28, 2009 - As part of the Super Bowl XLIII festivities, EA SPORTS and Xbox 360 will host the 15th annual Madden Bowl in Tampa, Florida. The only official Madden tournament featuring NFL players, Madden Bowl XV will include the league’s brightest stars as they compete to see who has the best skills on the virtual gridiron. This year’s event will bring new meaning to the words “bragging rights” as players from each Super Bowl team – Willie Parker (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Edgerrin James (Arizona Cardinals) – will both be in the mix just days before they duke it out on the field.

The Madden Bowl is an annual event where eight current NFL Players will go head-to-head in Madden NFL 09 on Xbox 360 in a single elimination tournament. The winner is named as the 2008 champion and awarded the EA SPORTS Madden Bowl Cup.

In addition, for the first time ever in Madden Bowl history, two of the top projected quarterbacks in the upcoming NFL Draft – Mark Sanchez (USC) and Matt Stafford (University of Georgia) – will face off, one-on-one in Madden NFL 09, to determine who is the 8th, and final player, in the Madden Bowl XV tournament.

Madden fans at home will also get taste of the Madden Bowl XV action. During the evening Xbox 360 will offer fans the rare opportunity to play a game of Madden NFL 09 against one of the athletes in attendance as part of the latest Xbox LIVE online entertainment network Game with Fame session. For a chance to battle NFL All-Pro Linebacker Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens) on Xbox 360 direct from the Madden Bowl, send a friend request to the Xbox LIVE gamertag “RLewisGWF” between 8:00 – 9:00 PM.

Immediately following the Madden Bowl tournament will be the Madden Bowl XV Party celebrating 20 years of Madden NFL Football, featuring Joel Madden (of Good Charlotte) as DJ.

Madden Bowl Eight-Man Tournament Participants:

• Antonio Bryant – WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Edgerrin James – RB, Arizona Cardinals
• Maurice Jones-Drew – RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
• Willie Parker – RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
• Justin Tuck – DE, New York Giants
• DeMarcus Ware – LB, Dallas Cowboys
• To be determined
• Mark Sanchez – USC/Matthew Stafford – University of Georgia (Rookie play-in game)

Athletes in Attendance:

• Derrick Brooks – LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Marshall Faulk – RB, St. Louis Rams & Indianapolis Colts (retired 2006)
• Antonio Gates – TE, San Diego Chargers
• Tony Gonzalez – TE, Kansas City Chiefs
• Steven Jackson – RB, St. Louis Rams
• Chad Johnson – WR, Cincinnati Bengals
• Darren McFadden – RB, Oakland Raiders
• *Willis McGahee – RB, Baltimore Ravens (*last year’s Madden Bowl winner)
• Terrell Owens – WR, Dallas Cowboys
• Reggie Wayne – WR, Indianapolis Colts
• Roddy White – WR, Atlanta Falcons
• Evan Longoria – 3B, Tampa Bay Rays

Additional guests in attendance will include athletes from the NFL, NBA and MLB, television and film celebrities and music recording artists. ESPN’s NFL analyst Trey Wingo will be the host of this year’s event.

WHEN: Thursday, January 29, 2008 - 7:00 PM – 2:00 AM