Patrick Kane, who is slated to be on the cover of NHL 16, is currently under police investigation for sexual assault allegedly occurring at his home in Buffalo, New York. While no charges have been brought against Patrick Kane at this time, the police appear to be taking the allegations very seriously. We believe that EA Sports should be taking the allegations against Patrick Kane just as seriously, and request that EA Sports remove him from the cover of NHL 16.

There is a precedent for removing a player from the cover. In 2004, EA Sports removed Joe Thornton from the cover of NHL 2004 after he was charged with assaulting and obstructing the police. Dany Heatley was then chosen to replace Thornton for the cover of NHL 2004, but he was removed after crashing his car when driving recklessly, which resulted in the death of his friend and teammate Dan Snyder. However, copies of NHL 2004 with Dany Heatley on the cover still made it into circulation. If EA Sports waits until charges are filed against Patrick Kane, it may be too late to recall the printed covers.

The player chosen to appear on the cover becomes emblematic of the game itself, and by keeping Patrick Kane on the cover of NHL 16, EA Sports demonstrates that they stand behind him, regardless of his guilt or innocence. Featuring him on the cover of NHL 16 trivializes the current allegations of sexual assault that Kane is facing, and it normalizes sexual violence and perpetuates rape culture which makes it incredibly difficult for survivors of sexual assault to speak up against aggressors. Having an alleged rapist on the cover will alienate users (both male and female) and damage EA Sports’ brand by making sexual assault seem like an unimportant issue to EA Sports.

EA Sports is in a position to influence their consumers, because this brand is one that people trust. They should uphold that trust by doing what is right and choosing another player for NHL 16.  

Join us in asking EA Sports to take Patrick Kane off the cover of NHL 16.