Former San Francisco 49er’s quarterback Colin Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since 2016 after his national anthem protests. EA, the publishers behind the football game “Madden”, has decided to bring Kaepernick back to the field in this year’s game.

After being blackballed from the NFL due to kneeling during the national anthem, Kaepernick has had outside success settling an almost $10 million lawsuit with the league, lucrative sponsorships with sports apparel brand Nike and signing a deal with Netflix to turn his backstory into an episodic series.

Even with his off the field success, and the NFL’s change of heart in anthem protests, Kap has yet to be picked up by any of the thirty-two teams in the league.

The thirty-two-year-old has been keeping himself in football shape through the last four years with workouts with current NFL players and teams. Despite Kaepernick keeping up his athletic physique, he has still been out of the league for four years.

It would make sense that this would reflect negatively in the player rating system within the game. However, Kap has an eighty-one-overall rating. This is above established veterans like Jared Goff (seventy-six) and budding stars like Josh Allen (seventy-seven).

Along with having a rating withing the top fifteen quarterbacks currently playing in the league, Kap was also gifted with a personalized intro when he enters the game. Also, whenever you score a touchdown with him and choose the “signature” celebration, Kap holds up the Black Power fist.

EA’s decision to put Kaepernick back in the game is quite different from a decision the publisher made three games ago. EA controversially deleted a reference to Kaepernick in song the song “Big Bank” that was featured in “Madden 19”. EA would later apologize for the transgression.