MINNEAPOLIS — Months after the conclusion of his standout rookie season, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is being immortalized beyond the NFL’s record books.
The Fortnite video game will include as an emote “The Griddy,” the toe-tapping touchdown celebration Jefferson brought with him from LSU to the pros. The dance’s inclusion in the game will come Wednesday, according to the Epic Games website.
Jefferson is the first NFL player to be featured in Fortnite, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The NFL and Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, began a partnership in November 2018 to make gear, known as skins, available for all 32 teams in the game’s Battle Royale mode.
The news comes on the heels of Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil forward Neymar becoming the first playable athlete in the wildly popular video game as part of the game’s Season 6 launch “Primal.”
Speaking with Vikings Entertainment Network last Thursday, Jefferson said it was his goal last season to get “The Griddy” into the latest edition of EA Sports’ Madden NFL game. Fortnite becomes the first video game to feature the dance made famous by the Pro Bowl receiver.
“It’s so crazy to witness this and to see this actually happening because me growing up, I watched some of my favorite NFL players and they were doing touchdown celebrations and stuff like that,” Jefferson said. “To actually have a dance come out in the league and for it to be one of the top dances in the league, it’s so crazy.”