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Bo Jackson Has Never Played Tecmo Bowl, Which Is An Absolute Tragedy

Bo Jackson is arguably the greatest all-around athlete of all time, being the first athlete to be named an All-Star in both the MLB and NFL and having won the Heisman Trophy in 1985. Bo Jackson is also, arguably, the greatest video game athlete of all time.

Virtual Bo Jackson in Nintendo’s classic “Super Tecmo Bowl” was the most dominant running back in video game history, running past defenders at will and pretty much making it unfair if you chose the Raiders, Bo’s team. (Indeed, “You can’t be the Raiders” may or may not have been the most-used phrase among American kids in 1991). Here’s a YouTube clip of him crushing the competition at will.

Indeed, “Tecmo Bo,” as he’s affectionately known, is rivaled only by Falcons-era Michael Vick in “Madden” as the cheapest sports video game character ever.

So, it is with a heavy heart that I report the following breaking news: Bo Jackson has never played Tecmo Bowl, the video game in which he dominates. What’s more, he has only seen someone play it once in his life.

Jackson was a guest on the noon edition of SportsCenter, when anchor Robert Flores asked the question we all wanted to know the answer to.

“I mean, have you seen the YouTube clip?” Flores asked. “You were a beast in ‘Tecmo Bowl.’ Did you ever play that game, you know, coming up, and did you ever play as yourself… and know what I’m talking about?”

“To be honest with you, I’ve seen a kid play that game once,” Bo responded. “I have never played that game. I still have the ‘Tecmo Bowl’ cassette, in a box somewhere in one of my storage places or in the attic. But I’ve never played the game.”

Folks, this is akin to Marlon Brando never having actually sat down and watched The Godfather. “Tecmo Bowl” is a modern American classic — and the principal character never actually witnessed the masterpiece he was so central to. Tragic.

Please, would someone — anyone — make Bo Jackson sit down and play a game of Tecmo Bowl?

[SportsCenter transcript via TVeyes]