Electronic Arts Inc. (aka EA) may no longer produce College Sports video games, thanks to a lawsuit filed in support of NCAA athletes who's likeness was used without explicit permission in previous versions of EA Sports' NCAA Football.

But the now settled $60 million lawsuit may not have stopped the video game giant from using the likeness of not one, but potentially two current Texas Longhorns.

Madden NFL 18 hit the shelves Friday and debuted a new feature, Longshot: A first-ever Madden NFL story mode that follows fictional NFL prospect and former Texas Longhorns' QB Devin Wade on his journey to the National Football League.

If you follow UT football, you know there has not been a quarterback by the name of Devin Wade for the Longhorns. But at first glance, Madden 18's Wade bares several similarities to QB-turned-WR Jerrod Heard.

Let's take a look at the facts.







Wade played QB for Texas.

Heard played QB for Texas.

Wade wears No. 13.

Heard wears No. 13.

Wade led his Texas high school team, the fictional Mavis Bulldogs, to win the 2013 State Championship.

Heard led his Texas high school team, Denton-Guyer Wildcats, to win the 2013 State Championship.

It's clear there are a decent number of similarities between the fictional Devin Wade and real Jerrod Heard. Is it possible the characteristics may just be a random coincidence, rather than an intentional, unauthorized use of a player's likeness by EA Sports?

Sure. (And it's probably safe to say that would be the type of excuse EA would give if pressed about the issue, considering the events that have transpired in recent years.)

But here's where things get interesting ... And by interesting, I mean shady ... EXTREMELY SHADY.

Within the first hour of Longshot, Wade is shown in his childhood home looking at memorabilia from his high school career.

A picture displayed on the wall behind Wade in the scene shows a framed article from the day the Madden 18 fictional character announced his commitment to the University of Texas.

Sitting at a table in front of a white mic flag and a water bottle with a blue and white label to his right, Devin Wade sports a black polo shirt buttoned all the way to the top, and a burnt orange Texas hat resting loosely on his head. Wade's right hand is held high displaying the Longhorns' famous Hook 'Em sign with a bracelet featured on his right wrist.

While Wade's appearance in the framed article does not in the slightest resemble Jerrod Heard at the time he signed with Texas in 2014, it is a spitting image, let me repeat that, a SPITTING IMAGE of a photo from a more recent Longhorns' National Signing Day ceremony: Sophomore safety Brandon Jones.

Let's take a look at a picture from Jones' National Signing Day ceremony.

Sitting at a table in front of a white mic flag and a water bottle with a blue and white label off to his right, Jones sported a burnt orange hat resting loosely on his head, a black polo shirt buttoned to the top and threw up "Hook 'Em", while wearing a bracelet on his right wrist.

Regardless of the team you support, the comparisons in the images are undeniable. One could argue the ONLY difference is an unattached accessory ... Jones' glasses.

But there's no way EA Sports would attempt to emulate the scene almost exactly without the authorized use of a player's likeness, right?

Not quite.

It doesn't seem like Jones knew about this or was necessarily thrilled by the news, at least according his response to a tweet sent at the safety referencing the stark similarities.

So here we are, more than four years out from the final release of NCAA Football (a product EA Sports reportedly made $1.3 BILLION in revenue on, according to a 2013 Forbes article), and after $60 million in settlement payments to more than 24,000 college athletes, yet EA Sports may not have learned its lesson.

Let's be honest, a number of college quarterbacks have worn No. 13, most notably Dan Marino, who just so happens to be one of Wade's mentors in Madden's Longshot.

But even with the similarities between Wade and Heard--which in my opinion, are almost too close to overlook--it is possible that connection could be a fluke.

What isn't coincidental is the framed article.

However way you slice it, there is zero doubt in my mind the image of "Devin Wade" is a VERY clear copycat of Brandon Jones.

In my opinion, EA Sports HAS to answer for this very obvious use of an unpaid NCAA athlete's likeness in Brandon Jones ... and honestly, potentially Jerrod Heard.







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