The Indianapolis Colts have issued an apology regarding a video that announced their schedule for the upcoming NFL season.
This particular video featured a scene showcasing the season opener against the Dolphins. It employed a Minecraft theme and poked fun at Miami receiver Tyreek Hill. In the clip, a dolphin wearing Hill’s No. 10 jersey swims before last season’s first game, only to be interrupted by a Coast Guard boat. This choice of imagery stirred controversy, as it alluded to Hill’s prior arrest, where he described an incident with officers as them “beating the dog out of me.”
Though the charges against Hill were later dropped, he and his agents had sought action against some of the officers involved. His teammate, Curry Campbell, attempted to defuse the situation but found himself handcuffed by police during the encounter.
Minecraft, which has gained monumental popularity, boasts over 200 million monthly players. Microsoft purchased the rights to the game back in 2014 for $2.5 billion.
The Colts decided to take down the clip shortly after it was released. They realized they hadn’t secured permission from Microsoft to use the content.
“We have removed the schedule release video because we included content that exceeded our rights at Microsoft and featured Tyreek Hill. We sincerely apologize to Microsoft and Tyreek,” the Colts stated.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Chargers also created a Minecraft-themed video for their schedule release, but clarified they had received permission from Microsoft.
