Bill Belichick, Deion Sanders will not appear in NCAA ‘College Football 26’ video game

College Sports

Belichick went more than two decades without his likeness being used in Madden. The same goes for the new ‘College Football 26’ game.

Bill Belichick has continued his longstanding tradition of declining the use of his name, image, and likeness in video games.

The former Patriots coach, who was replaced by a generic “NE coach” or a fictional character for years in the Madden franchise, will not be featured in the new “EA Sports College Football 26” game, according to The Athletic.

Belichick, now the head coach at University of North Carolina, is joined by several other prominent college football coaches in declining to appear in the game.

Colorado’s Deion Sanders and Miami’s Mario Cristobal are among the other coaches who won’t be playable in the latest edition.

On3 reports that Belichick and Sanders have been replaced by characters named “Hector Luna” and “Kirk Patrick” in the game.

For much of his 24-year stint with the Patriots, Belichick did not appear in Madden because he was not a member of the NFL Coaches Association.

Madden maker EA Sports, which also makes the CFB 26 game, has a licensing agreement with the NFL Coaches Association that allows coaches’ likenesses to appear in the game. Belichick was depicted in Madden 2002, but he hasn’t appeared in one of the games in at least two decades.

Sanders’s absence is more surprising than Belichick’s, considering his “Prime Time” persona and frequent appearances in the Madden games during his playing days and as a legendary player in later editions.

Sanders coached Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who was one of three cover athletics for last year’s CFB game, at Colorado and Jackson State.

Belichick is gearing up for his first season as a college football head coach. The Tar Heels have ACC Media Days coming up later this month, and they will open the season in Chapel Hill against TCU on Sept. 1.

Despite being in the same conference as Boston College, UNC will not make the trip to Chestnut Hill during the regular season.