Aaron Hernandez is no longer on an NFL roster, nor will he be in this year’s version of the popular Madden video game.
EA Sports announced Monday that the former Patriots tight end wouldn’t be appearing in this year’s Madden NFL 25, according to CBS Sports. Hernandez was a part of the final version of EA’s other premier football video game, NCAA Football 14, which will be released at retailers nationwide on Tuesday.
“We made a decision to remove Aaron Hernandez from Madden NFL 25 and NCAA Football 14. Because NCAA Football 14 was finalized prior to our decision, Hernandez’ image still appears in the Nike Skills Trainer,” a spokesperson for EA Sports said.
An image of Hernandez appears in NCAA Football 14 as part of a secret reward in the game’s “NCAA Ultimate Team Mode.” That is the former Florida standout’s only appearance in the game. EA added that Hernandez’s photo will be removed and replaced by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and former Utah Ute Alex Smith once the game’s first update becomes available to users.
“However, he is not in the game, and anyone who unlocks that particular Nike Skills Trainer reward will receive an Alex Smith Ultimate Team Player item instead,” the EA Sports spokesperson said. “The image of Hernandez will be removed via a Title Update in the near future.”
The Patriots released Hernandez immediately upon his arrest on June 26, so he wouldn’t have shown up on NFL roster anyway, but he could have appeared in the free agent pool. EA’s decision to remove him from the games completely helps avoid any potential conflicts that could arise.
Check out the shot of Hernandez currently appearing in NCAA Football 14 in the photo below.
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Photo via Twitter/LiterallyLowe
