The final, beautiful goodbye of NFL legend John Madden

ON CHRISTMAS DAY, John Madden gathered his close family members and friends around his TV at 2 p.m. A documentary about him and his tall-tale life, “All Madden,” was airing on Fox, and he wanted to watch it with the people he loved the most.

Many of the people in the room with him — namely, his wife, Virginia, and sons, Joe and Mike — had made tremendous sacrifices over the decades as Madden rose to stardom, first as a Hall of Fame coach, then as a broadcaster, then as an esports pioneer. He’d often acknowledge that he missed more of his boys’ young lives than he ever wanted. “Virginia raised the kids,” he’d tell friends.

But his family also had invested deeply in Madden’s success, and this documentary served as a perfect coda to their family story. They were proud of him, and Madden considered his career to be theirs, too.

As he sank down into his big chair in the Madden TV room, his wife and sons, their spouses and his grandkids gathered around and watched the film. They had no idea that for most of them, it was the last time they’d share with their beloved patriarch.

And what a time it was. Over 90 minutes, the story of Madden’s astounding life unfolds, beginning with the injured lineman who washed out as a pro football player, became a coaching legend, stunned the world by walking away 10 years later, then stunned the world even more by becoming the biggest broadcaster and video game luminary in sports history. (The doc airs on Fox at 8 p.m. tonight, and is also on ESPN+.)

It was a meta moment for many in the room. Much of the doc is centered around a July shoot with Madden at his home studio, in which he sat in a chair and watched video of his family and football luminaries rave about him. On Christmas, his loved ones then watched Madden watch himself as he watched the finished product. On screen, he had a big smile on his face. In the room, the smile was even bigger.

When the film ended, Madden asked every person in the room what they thought, even…