Madden 18: EA apologises after muting reference to Colin Kaepernick in game

'It’s disappointing and appalling'

Colin Kaepernick (right) and Eric Reid of the San Francisco 49ers kneel in protest during the national anthem prior to an NFL game in Santa Clara, California (Getty)

Colin Kaepernick has had his name mysteriously removed from the upcoming Madden NFL 2018 game.

The footballer – who will not appear in the game because he has been without a contract since last year – also had his name muted in a song on the game, in the same way as happens to swear words.

Developers EA Sports said that it had "messed up" and that the name had been removed as a mistake. It said that the decision had been made amid confusion about rights – claiming that his name had been muted because EA was not sure whether they would be allowed to use it.

But others including Kaepernick himself claimed the decision had not been made by mistake and reflected an attempt to remove the player from the game entirely.

The mention of Kaepernick comes in the song Big Bank by YG. That song includes a verse by Big Sean that makes reference to his protests against racial discrimination, which began a process that left the player without a team and removed from Madden.

Big Sean tweeted his anger about the change, making clear that he had not approved of the adjustment.

"It’s disappointing and appalling NFL & EA took Kaepernick’s name out of my verse on Big Bank for Madden 19, like it was a curse word," he wrote. "When he's not a curse, he's a gift! Nobody from my team approved any of this."

Kaepernick posted to thank Big Sean for the message. He has been retweeting a host of supportive messages, as well as asking EA why the decision had been made.

EA said that it apologised for the mistake and that it would be corrected in an update to be sent out in the coming week.