Colts Remove Calendar Announcement Video After Controversy
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts’ attempt to add a bit of humor to their season schedule announcement has ended in a situation that is far from funny.
The Colts, like most NFL teams, created a video to accompany the release of their regular season schedule on Wednesday night, but abruptly removed it from social platforms the same day, according to reports.
“We removed our calendar launch video because it exceeded our rights with Microsoft and included an insensitive clip involving Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. We sincerely apologize to Microsoft and Tyreek,” the team said in a statement.
Colts Statement
The video, which was intended to be a parody of the popular video game Minecraft, revealed the team’s season opener against Miami with an image of a dolphin with the number 10 and the label “Hill” swimming before being stopped by a Coast Guard boat with a blaring siren.
Hill was involved in a controversial incident with Miami-Dade County officers last September when arriving at a home game. Hill was pulled from his vehicle, tackled, and forcibly handcuffed. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, subsequently requested that the officers involved be fired. The traffic citations issued against Hill were later dropped.
Regarding the violation of Microsoft’s rights, it is likely related to the fact that Minecraft is owned by Microsoft and identical images to those of the game were used in the Colts’ video. The Los Angeles Chargers used similar content in their calendar launch video, but displayed a disclaimer indicating they had permission from Microsoft.
It’s unclear whether the Colts sought such permission from the company.
