While football fans may not see Colin Kaepernick on an actual field any time soon, they will get the chance to play with the quarterback in EA Sports' most recent Madden release. This is the first time Kaepernick has been featured in the video game franchise since the 2016 season when he began kneeling during the national anthem.
With an 81 overall rating, Kaepernick is the highest rated free agent quarterback in Madden 21 and in the top 15 of the video game’s 111 total quarterbacks.
"Colin Kaepernick is one of the top free agents in football and a starting-caliber quarterback," EA Sports announced in a statement. "The team at EA SPORTS, along with millions of Madden NFL fans, want to see him back in our game...Knowing that our EA SPORTS experiences are platforms for players to create, we want to make Madden NFL a place that reflects Colin’s position and talent, rates him as a starting QB, and empowers our fans to express their hopes for the future of football. We’ve worked with Colin to make this possible, and we’re excited to bring it to all of you today."
After the 2016 season, Kaepernick was prevented from appearing in the subsequent Madden releases because he was not included in the group licensing agreement, which is negotiated through the NFL Players Association, so Madden lost the rights to the quarterback’s likeness. EA Sports approached Kaepernick this past summer to negotiate the rights to his likeness so that he could return to the game for the first time in four years.
Source: The Undefeated
