RG3 Now NCAA 13 Cover Model

Reigning Heisman Trophy winner and coveted NFL draftee Robert Griffin III announced on Monday morning’s Dan Patrick Show that he agreed to appear on the cover of EA Sports NCAA Football 13. RG3 is the third consecutive Heisman winner to grace the game’s cover, which is due out in July. Tim Tebow appeared on the front of the ’11 version, and Mark Ingram last season’s.

Below is the image DP Show producer Paulie Pabst tweeted.

Griffin joked on the show that he is a gamer and plays the NCAA franchise, and “puts up points…but [plays] no defense,” an oddly fitting sentiment given RG3’s college encore was an offensive record setter in the Alamo Bowl.

NCAA rules prohibit active athletes from gracing the covers of such video games, hence Griffin’s appearance on his way out. The same rules prevent programmers from using players’ actual names, thus preventing them from seeing any compensation despite the pixelated players sporting their same numbers and features.

The rules regarding merchandising are archaic at best and desperately need revision. The Ed O’Bannon-led lawsuit against the NCAA has brought more publicly scrutiny on the matter. In the meantime, present players continue to exist in number only, but RG3 may appear if Baylor is programmed as a classic team.

The real Griffin is already pretty close to video game skill. At the weekend’s NFL Combine, he posted an impressive 4.41 40-yard dash time. He also measured at a legitimate 6-foot-2, making him one of the few attendees whose college height proved to be his NFL height — though with Patrick, Griffin said his high school listed him at 6-foot-4.