NFL quarterback Colin Capernick famously took a knee during the American national anthem to protest police brutality during the 2016 season. Perhaps not coincidentally, he was also an undrafted free agent after that season.

He had also been absent from the Madden NFL series since 2017, but as of today, that is no longer the case: Kaepernick is now available as a new franchise free agent in Madden NFL 21's franchise mode, and is in fact the highest rated free agent quarterback.

"Based on Capanick's performance on the field to date, combined with our data-driven EA Sports rating simulations, Capanick has an OVR of 81, taking into account that he has not been on the field since 2016." EA explained in a blog post." When Capanic was a healthy starting quarterback, he was rated 89, 89, and 81 overall and was known for his strong touchdown-to-interception ratio, mobility, and playoff performances."

In Madden 21's The Yard mode, "Nike Kaepernick Icon Jersey 2.0" is free to all players and includes his own in-game celebration: "After a big play or touchdown, choose to celebrate with him, You will see Capanick raising his fist in the air as a symbol of Black Power.

According to The Undefeated, Capanic was excluded from the 2018-20 Madden Game because he was an undrafted free agent, was not included in the group licensing deal negotiated by the NFL Players Association, and EA had no right to use his likeness This was because he was not part of the group licensing agreement negotiated by the NFL Players Association. Controversially, Capanick's name was edited out of the "Madden 19" soundtrack, which EA later said was an "unfortunate mistake" due to a rights misunderstanding.

Although Capanic is not yet under contract to the NFL, EA approached him directly about returning to the Madden series this year. He reportedly "hand-picked" how he would be represented in the game, including that he would be depicted with an afro (he is in cornrows in the Madden 2017 image) and that he would include a black power fist as a celebration move.

EA did not specifically comment on a timeline for Capanick's return, but attitudes toward the protests he sparked in 2016 have changed dramatically in recent months: the shooting death of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha spurred strike action by NBA and WNBA players spurred (though WNBA Players Association President Nneka Ogwumike said in a statement that it was actually a "day of reflection," not a strike), leading to the postponement of MLB and NHL games and the cancellation of several NFL practice sessions. 2K Sports, publisher of NBA 2K, at the time, stated that it "strongly supports the players and the league to demonstrate against the shooting of Jacob Blake."

The NBA 2K team was not only "in support of the players and the league, but also the players and the league.

To celebrate Capanick's return to the Madden NFL series, Madden NFL 21 will be free to play from September 10-13.