The ongoing controversy surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders' recently-resigned coach Jon Gruden appears to have crossed over into video games. Gruden stepped away from his position as the Raiders' coach following the publication of certain emails he wrote containing homophobic, misogynistic, and racist language. Electronic Arts will be taking the issue seriously as well, as it has now confirmed that Jon Gruden will be removed from Madden NFL 22, the most recent release in the Madden football game franchise.
EA issued a statement on the topic via its official Twitter account for the Madden NFL franchise. The statement makes clear that EA and the development team behind Madden NFL are "committed to taking action in maintaining a culture of inclusion and equity." With that in mind, EA has decided to begin the process of removing Gruden from Madden NFL 22. The change won't take immediate effect, given the work that's involved. Players can expect to see the change in a title update to come over the next few weeks.
As for how the change will work in-game, EA will be removing the likeness, name, and any related statistics or details for Gruden from Madden NFL 22 entirely. He will be replaced by what EA is calling a "generic likeness," but no further information about the change is provided given that it's not the focus of the statement. It's unclear if the generic likeness is simply temporary, or if it's necessary at all, before EA replaces Gruden with the new interim Las Vegas Raiders coach, Rich Bisaccia.
Gruden resigned from the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this week following the publication of certain emails he'd written between 2011 and 2018. In the emails, Gruden rejected the NFL's decision to hire women as referees, the drafting of a gay college football player, as well as the protests of Black NFL players against police violence. He also used homophobic and misogynistic slurs as pejorative against others.
Gruden issued his resignation earlier this week, saying, "I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction." He also provided a short apology, saying, "I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone," but did not address any of the allegations regarding bigotry. Both the Raiders and the NFL have since condemned Gruden's language in his emails.
The question Madden NFL 22 players are left asking is whether or not EA would have made this decision if Gruden hadn't resigned. That EA's statement came now, rather than directly following the revelation of Gruden's emails has left some with a sour taste in their mouths. Regardless, the decision is certainly aggressive given the NFL itself seemed unwilling to punish or hold Gruden accountable for his behavior. In that regard, EA has proven proactive in its decision to remove Gruden from Madden NFL 22.
Madden NFL 22 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.