The new Madden video game has one very curious omission.
The soundtrack contains the song Big Bank from YG. The lyrics include a variety of words that were scrubbed from the song, including profanities, a racial slur, vague references to sexual activity, and the acronym CBD (a substance containing cannabis).
Also scrubbed from the song was, you guessed it, the name “Colin Kaepernick.”
First spotted (as best we can tell) by the Twitter account with the handle "@jeanclervil,” the tweet has been retweeted by Kaepernick’s girlfriend, Nessa Diab. PFT has confirmed by listening to the song on an advance copy of the game that, indeed, Kaepernick’s name has been removed from the lyrics.
We’ve commenced the process of seeking comment from EA. Whatever the explanation, it’s a very bizarre outcome. With thousands of songs to choose from, why pick one that includes Kaepernick’s name in the lyrics? That would have avoided any and all controversy and backlash that will emerge just as the new edition of the game is going on sale.
However this plays out, it’s got to be one of the biggest unforced errors in the history of video games. That said, the end result honors the decades-old mission statement of EA Sports: If it’s in the game, it’s in the game.