John Madden undergoes open-heart surgery

Hall of Fame coach John Madden was released from a San Francisco hospital Wednesday after successful open-heart surgery, the NFL said in a statement.

The procedure was to repair blockages, according to the league, and the 79-year-old former broadcaster is expected to fully recover.

“I spoke to John yesterday,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in the statement.

“He sounds great, but is frustrated about being on injured reserve for the time being. He is anxious to return to action soon doing the important work he does for our game. He’s a tremendous fountain of ideas and we can’t wait to get him back. We are all pleased to know that John’s procedure was successful and wish him a speedy recovery.”

Madden chairs the NFL competition committee’s coaches subcommittee and, with Ronnie Lott, the league’s player safety advisory panel.

Madden never had a losing or .500 record in 10 years as the Oakland Raiders head coach, leading the team to victory in Super Bowl XI and finishing his career in 1978 with a 103-32 record.

After coaching , he became known as a TV in-game commentator and analyst from 1979 to 2009, and more recently for the popular Madden NFL video games from EA Sports.

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