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NFL asks all home teams to honor John Madden with moment of silence before Week 17 games

The NFL wants all of its teams to spend a few seconds Sunday honoring one of its greatest coaches, broadcasters and ambassadors for the game.

In a memo sent to all teams Thursday, commissioner Roger Goodell asked all of Week 17's home teams to honor the recently departed John Madden with a moment of silence before their games kick off.

"As you know, the NFL lost a true giant on Tuesday with the passing of John Madden," the memo reads. "To help honor his legacy, we ask that each home team in Week 17 observe a moment of silence in his memory just prior to the start of the game."

Madden, who died Tuesday at age 85, had an immeasurable impact on the NFL. His color commentary was informative and entertaining, making the game more accessible and influencing every broadcaster who came after. He won a Super Bowl as a coach, but was also involved in four of the top 30 greatest plays of all time on the NFL's official list.

And of course there's the video game franchise, played by millions and known as the gold standard of football video games and sports video games in general.

Madden died just a few days after "All Madden," a documentary about his life and legacy, aired on Fox. It's being broadcast again on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox, but there are other options available for those without terrestrial TV. You can now watch it on the subscription streaming services ESPN+ and Peacock Premium, and you can watch it free with ads on Tubi.