In this May 23, 2014, file photo, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice pauses as he speaks during a news conference at the team’s practice facility in Owings Mills, Md. A new video that appears to show Ray Rice striking then-fiance Janay Palmer in an elevator last February has been released on a website.Video game publisher Electronic Arts is removing former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice from its recently released Madden NFL 15 title, the latest company to pull its support for the player.
EA Sports says Rice will be removed from the game’s roster Friday through an online update. EA Sports cited Rice’s indefinite suspension from the NFL as the reason for his removal.
EA’s Madden is, by far, the oldest and most popular football video game franchise. Its origins date back to the late 1980s, when the industry was in its infancy. It was one of the first games to be updated each year, a business model that would eventually be copied by other publishers.