John Madden undergoes successful open heart surgery

Former Raiders Super Bowl winning Hall of Fame coach John Madden underwent successful open-heart surgery recently to repair blockages. He was released from a San Francisco hospital Wednesday and is expected to fully recover.

"I spoke to John yesterday," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "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 coached the Raiders for ten years from 1969-78. During that time, he helped lead the Raiders to their first Super Bowl following the 1976 season. He entered the broadcasting booth in 1981 and spent 28 years there until his retirement following the 2008 season. He started the Madden video game empire in 1988 and remains an iconic sports personality. He joined the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 as the second winningest head coach in NFL history.

Madden serves as co-chair with Ronnie Lott of the NFL Player Safety Advisory Panel and is chair of the Coaches Subcommittee to the Competition Committee.

Follow @LeviDamien