'Madden 15' Release Date, Gameplay & Ratings: Ray Rice Removed from Video Game After Wife Video

Ray Rice was let go by the Baltimore Ravens and slapped with an indefinite suspension from the NFL following the release of a horrific video of him hurting his then-fiancee and now wife, Janay Palmer, inside an elevator at a hotel in Atlantic City, early this year. The consequences of his actions are becoming a nightmare for the athlete. 

In a report by CBS Sports, game developer EA Sports announced on September 9 that it will be removing the running back from their new video game "Madden NFL 15," which was released on August 26. EA Sports said, "With Ray Rice's indefinite suspension from the NFL, he will be removed from Madden NFL 15. The roster change will take place by this Friday."

CBS Sports writes that, technically, Rice enters the free market agency and after the Ravens indicated that they will not offer an extension, he was bound to be taken off the Ravens roster in Madden's next update. EA Sports provides regular updates to its roster depending on trades and changes in the actual league. At the time of the game's release, Rice was still included in the Ravens' roster. Although not being in a team normally puts a player in the free agent list, the game company completely took out Rice as a sign of disapproval of his offense. He will be listed as "Free Agent/Suspended by Commissioner".

Various organizations have been busy getting rid of Rice to keep their reputation from getting tarnished by the domestic violence charges against him. The Baltimore Ravens went as far as offering fans the opportunity to exchange his jerseys for free. His jerseys were also withdrawn from shelves at sports retail shops like Dick's Sporting Goods and Modell's.  Sports retail giant Nike also ended its endorsement ties with the running back. KeJuan Wilkins, spokesman for Nike, told ESPN.com that the company took him off their roster, too. Even the official online shop of the league, NFL Shop, pulled out Rice jerseys from the available selections.

VertiMax, a jump training program, also withdrew an endorsement deal with Rice, according to ABC News. Michael Wehrell, CEO of VertiMax, was sympathetic towards Rice after the first video was presented in February 2014, showing him pulling an unconscious Palmer out of a casino elevator in Atlantic City. After the Ravens released Rice, Wehrell said that VertiMax also severed its ties with Rice in June.

Wehrell said, "After internal discussion about the events that transpired, we determined that a future relationship with Ray did not align with our goal as a company."