Every year the release of Madden is a huge deal for sports gamers around the world. An inclusion on the soundtrack can be a big deal for any artist. Big Sean was one such musician to be featured on the acclaimed video game, though when the first versions of the game were released, he was less than thrilled.

In an episode of what EA is calling an “unfortunate mistake,” the game featured a version of the YG song “Big Bank.” The song has a verse from Big Sean, which includes a reference to Colin Kaepernick, who is famous for kneeling during the national anthem and kick-starting a debate over protest against the flag. Many would say the quarterback, who just a few years ago led the 49ers to the Super Bowl but is now unable to find a landing spot anywhere in the NFL, has been blacklisted.

EA says the reason that Big Sean’s verse was edited was a misunderstanding. The editors understood that they did not have any rights to include Kaepernick in the game, and took that to mean even references in the soundtrack. Read the statement below:

“We made an unfortunate mistake with our Madden NFL soundtrack. Members of our team misunderstood the fact that while we don’t have rights to include Colin Kaepernick in the game, this doesn’t affect soundtracks. We messed up, and the edit should never have happened. We will make it right, with an update to Madden NFL 19 on August 6 that will include the reference again. We meant no disrespect, and we apologize to Colin, to YG and Big Sean, to the NFL, to all of their fans and our players for this mistake.”

Big Sean had no idea of the edit before the game’s release. He expressed his displeasure in a tweet:

It’s disappointing and appalling @NFL & @EA took @Kaepernick7’s name out of my verse on Big Bank for Madden 19, like it was a curse word. When he's not a curse, he's a gift! Nobody from my team approved any of this.

— Sean Don (@BigSean) August 2, 2018

Photo Credit: Kalyn Oyer