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Marshawn Lynch to appear in ESPN The Magazine's "Body Issue", Madden 15 cover unveiled

On Wednesday, ESPN unveiled their list of 22 athletes for this year's body issue, which includes Marshawn Lynch. Also unveiled was the cover of Madden 15, featuring Richard Sherman.

By Sean Larson
Ronald Martinez

Lynch to pose nude in ESPN's Body Issue

Whether it be hanging out in the corner at Super Bowl media day to avoid a fine, causing a stir about showing up to minicamp, or unleashing a bizarre golf swing, Marshawn Lynch has a knack for putting himself in the spotlight. Now, Lynch will once again be in that spotlight in a situation that is a bit, how do we put this, revealing.

On Wednesday, ESPN unveiled the 22 athletes who will pose nude in this year's body issue. Lynch joins other star athletes like Michael Phelps, Venus Williams, Serge Ibaka and other finely tuned athletic specimens who will lose the clothes and pose nude, immediately prompting all of us to go sign up for a membership at our local gym. Even Prince Fielder is in the issue this year, although I wouldn't put Fielder into the "finely tuned athletic specimen" section like I would with Lynch or Phelps. Actually, I'll probably just skip that page altogether.

The 2014 issue is the sixth year that ESPN The Magazine has done their "body issue," showing us a side of these athletes generally reserved for their spouses or a member of the media in the locker room after games. The issue hits stands July 11. Let's start a betting line for the odds that Skittles will be used for his shot.

Madden 15 cover unveiled

Recently, Richard Sherman was voted to be this year's cover boy of Madden 15, beating out Cam Newton in the finals. This morning, NFL on ESPN tweeted out the cover featuring Sherman.

Earlier this week, it looked like there was a slight possibility that Sherman's Legion of Boom comrades could be joining him on the cover. Earlier in the month, Sherman said he wanted his teammates on the cover with him, but that EA was fighting back on it.

Sherman told reporters that if anyone wanted to start a petition to get the Legion of Boom on the cover to go ahead and make one. One fan, Jason Coiner, did just that. Coiner's petition on Change.org had 9,060 signatures as of Wednesday when the official over was tweeted out.

Instead, it looks like Sherman will be riding solo on the cover of this year's game, which hits shelves August 26. Sherman will be faced with the task of proving their is no such thing as the Madden Cover Jinx, which is easier said than done. In just about every year since players began gracing the cover of the game, something has gone wrong with their season, usually injury related. However, in 2013 when Calvin Johnson went on the cover, it was business as usual as Megatron tallied nearly 2,000 receiving yards, breaking Jerry Rice's 17-year old mark for most receiving yards in one year. So maybe Johnson did all the hard work and Sherman will have another big season. Because the last thing we need is another Shaun Alexander incident.

I don't believe in curses, so I have no problem saying Sherman will be just fine this year. If not, please save this link and rub it in my face at the appropriate time on Twitter.

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