It's everyone's favorite time of year, and the 2025 NFL schedule was released yesterday. As a result, each team's creative team had to show their strengths to provide their own schedule release video.
The Indianapolis Colts were applauded for being one of the funniest videos released yesterday, but they ended up deleting it before the day came to an end. And we now know why they felt the need to do so.
#Colts statement: “We removed our schedule release video because it exceeded our rights with Microsoft & included an insensitive clip involving Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill. We sincerely apologize to Microsoft and Tyreek.”
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 15, 2025
Here’s the video, which some saved…pic.twitter.com/xmDOLHooBs
The Colts shared each game on their schedule using a Minecraft-inspired animation. A popular idea, it seems, as the Los Angeles Chargers also took this approach. Inside the Colts' video, they showed each game on their 2025 schedule in order.
It began with their Week 1 matchup vs. the Miami Dolphins. Which included a Minecraft version of a dolphin wearing a Dolphins number 10 jersey with "Hill" on top of it. This clearly points towards Miami WR Tyreek Hill, and the Coast Guard shows up to end the segment. This was to poke fun at Hill's troubles with law enforcement over the years. While some viewed this as just being in good fun, some also view it to be pretty insensitive, and the Colts have since apologized to Hill through his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.
Colts reached out to agent Drew Rosenhaus to pass along their apologies to his client Tyreek Hill over their schedule release video. https://t.co/A9X9rrBNrV
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 15, 2025
In addition to this controversy, the Colts also seem not to have gotten the appropriate clearance to use the Minecraft name and likeness in the video. As mentioned earlier, the Chargers also made a Minecraft video and included a statement at the beginning about having permission from Microsoft to use Minecraft in the video. The Colts didn't have that type of statement in theirs. This seems to have caused issues with Microsoft and played a part in the Colts having to delete the video yesterday.
For those asking why the #Chargers’ schedule release video is still up, they made a statement at the beginning of it stating clearly that they got permission from Microsoft to use the Minecraft theme.
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) May 15, 2025
The #Colts’ schedule release video did not include this clearance. pic.twitter.com/g4yZWX1nRf
Since deleting it, the Colts have released a separate schedule release video utilizing their post-practice camera that catches players walking off the field. They also doubled down on their partnership with the popular X account, NBA Paint, which has illustrations of a Colts logo fighting their opponents.
Close enough. pic.twitter.com/TgFrLatc2P
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) May 15, 2025
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