Jon Gruden’s likeness to be removed from Madden 22 video game

The hits keep coming for former Raiders coach Jon Gruden, this time virtually.

Video game developer EA Sports announced Wednesday it was in the process of removing Gruden from its popular Madden 22 football game.

“EA Sports is committed to taking action in maintaining a culture of inclusion and equity,” EA Sports said in a statement released via Twitter. “Due to the circumstances of Jon Gruden’s resignation, we are taking steps to remove him from Madden 22.”

The statement went on to say Gruden’s likeness would be replaced by a generic character once the title is updated in the coming weeks.

The long-running video game franchise features the name of Hall of Fame Raiders coach John Madden. The series first published in 1988.

This marks the latest group to pull back from Gruden in the wake of him stepping down from the Raiders after news reports revealed he used racist, misogynistic and homophobic language in a series of emails over the span of several years.

Tuesday saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team Gruden coached to a Super Bowl win over the Raiders in 2003, remove him from their Ring of Honor, followed by shoe giant Skechers canceling its endorsement deal with the now disgraced coach.

“It is at the core of who we are as a global lifestyle brand and why we have a zero tolerance policy for such behavior within our business including those who we formally work with,” a Skechers spokesperson said in a statement. “We believe taking a stand against racist or derogatory comments and for inclusion of all is imperative.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.