(Photo:Ronald Martinez/Getty)

Resurging Eagles quarter back Michael Vick was beat out by Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis to be on the next cover of EA Sports’ popular Madden NFL12 video game; it was announced on Wednesday.

For the first time ever, EA let fans vote to choose the cover athlete, and Hillis won with 66 percent of the vote over Vick in the final matchup. More than 13 million votes were cast since voting began with fans choosing their favorite players from a 32-player bracket.

If he had won, Vick, who graced the cover in 2004, would have been the first player to make the cover twice. He was gracious in defeat, though, saying Hillis was “very deserving of the cover,” USA Today reports.

Considering the history of the “Madden Curse,” which claims that players featured on the game’s cover go on to get injured or have horrible seasons, it might be a good thing Vick didn’t win after all.