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The Indianapolis Colts came under fire on Wednesday night for a since-deleted social media video that was intended to creatively reveal the team’s 2025 game schedule.
The clip, which was animated in the style of the Microsoft-owned video game Minecraft, opened with a segment previewing the team’s Week 1 game against the Miami Dolphins. In it, Dolphins star Tyreek Hill was depicted as a dolphin and was then approached by a Coast Guard boat blaring a police siren, with a police officer glaring at Hill.
Hill was arrested in September in a widely publicized controversy that featured bodycam footage of the wide receiver being pinned to the ground by police while put in handcuffs.
Tyreek Hill in handcuffs. (Miami-Dade Police Department)
The Colts deleted the video later that evening and have since provided a statement to Fox New Digital clarifying that it was deleted due to the Hill depiction and because it violated the team’s agreement with Microsoft.
“We removed our schedule release video because it exceeded our rights with Microsoft and included an insensitive clip involving Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. We sincerely apologize to Microsoft and Tyreek,” the team said on Thursday.
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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Hill himself weighed in on the situation with an X post on Wednesday, saying the Colts should have left the video up.
The Los Angeles Chargers also formatted their schedule release video with Minecraft. However, unlike the Colts, the Chargers video included a disclaimer at the very start.
Also, unlike the Colts’ video, the Chargers’ video appears to be actual recorded gameplay of Minecraft, while Indianapolis used proprietary animation.
The NFL has had a partnership with Microsoft dating back to 2013.
Signage outside the Microsoft Campus in Redmond, Washington, on Thursday, March 3, 2022. (Photographer: Chona Kasinger/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The contract began with a five-year, $400 million deal, with a later extension in 2020. The partnership allows NFL teams and staff to use Microsoft Teams for collaboration and communication, and it also includes Microsoft Surface tablets for players and coaches to use on the sidelines.
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