John Madden Open Heart Surgery Successful: NFL Legend Currently In Recovery

John Madden, the esteemed NFL coach and broadcaster, underwent open-heart surgery this week. In a statement made earlier today, the National Football League revealed that Madden had the surgery to repair blockages.

According to USA Today, Madden’s surgery took place in San Francisco, California, and he was released on Wednesday, December 9. Everything went well and Madden is expected to fully recover.

The commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, spoke fondly of Madden as he made today’s statement. He said that he had spoken to Madden personally and that the former Oakland Raiders coach sounded “great.”

“He is anxious to return to action soon doing the important work he does for our game… We are all pleased to know that John’s procedure was successful and wish him a speedy recovery.”

Goodell also stated that Madden was feeling a bit frustrated having to actually wait for his body to recover to return to work, USA Today reported. A former broadcaster and Hall of Fame coach, Madden is currently a co-chair of the NFL player safety advisory panel along with Ronnie Lott. He is also sole chair of the coaches subcommittee, which derives from the competition committee, as told by the Los Angeles Times, who also confirmed that after undergoing open heart surgery, 79-year-old John Madden is expected to be fine.

Madden maintains an active role in the football community. Aside from working for the NFL, he also speaks out on popular current events related to the sport and offers insight that comes from his years of experience with the game. When the New England Patriots were accused of deflating game balls back in February of this year. Madden weighed in saying that quarterback Tom Brady was most likely responsible, as he would be the one to know if the football had been tampered with. According to the Inquisitr, Madden said that even the head coach couldn’t alter the air pressure in the football without the quarterback being aware of it.

Prior to being involved on the aforementioned panel and committees, John Madden served the NFL as head coach of the Oakland Raiders. He was with the team for 10 seasons and finished with a record of 119-41, reports USA Today. In all of the years he spent as coach, his team never finished a season with less than eight wins to its name and they always had a winning record. Madden led the Raiders to victory in 1976 when they won Super Bowl XI.

Madden’s last season as a coach was in 1978, but he was voted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2006.

The Los Angeles Times also reports that he worked as an NFL game broadcaster from 1979 to 2009, and as many football fans know, the popular football video game Madden NFL, produced by EA Sports, was named after the former coach.

Roger Goodell also stated in today’s statement that the NFL is excited for Madden to return to work.

“We can’t wait to get him back,” Goodell said. The excitement and relief at John Madden’s successful surgery is something that is probably not only felt by members of the NFL, but also by Madden’s countless fans and enthusiastic football followers.

[Main image courtesy of Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images]