EA announced that regardless of the labor dispute in the NFL, Madden NFL 12 will release in August.  According to IGN, the contract between EA and the NFL Player’s Association, as well as the agreements between the 32 teams and EA, is still valid, even though the NFLPA no longer exists as a labor union.  Every team and player will be in the next installment, including those players drafted in April.

Today, EA began a tournament, open to everyone, to determine who will grace the cover of the next Madden.  The tournament is divided in five rounds, each lasting a week, and the winners will be revealed on SportsNation each week.  Round one began today and runs through the 27th.  Click here to vote.

[Source: IGN]