Why has New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick been replaced with a mystery doppelganger in EA Sports' "Madden" NFL franchise?

Good question. In recent renditions of the game, the Patriots franchise has been accurately depicted, with a full roster and with owner Robert Kraft at the helm. However, when you look for their head coach, Belichick isn't there. Instead, it's someone named "Josh Moore." (Or in some versions, simply "NE Coach.")

There is no NFL coach named Josh Moore.

It's a weird recurring quirk for the "Madden" games, which, otherwise, is pretty spot on with NFL rosters and staffs. So on Tuesday, when Belichick addressed the media during the NFL Meetings in Arizona, he was asked about his virtual absence by CSNNE reporter Tom E. Curran.

Belichick was in full non-answer form that morning, which led to the following exchange:

Belichick is notorious gruff with the media, with his deflection here coming as little surprise.

While the idea that the coach who's led the Patriots to four Super Bowl victories is personally turning down video game appearing is fun, it's a little more complicated than that. It's less about Belichick's grumpiness and more about rights contracts and unions. In this case, it's the NFL Coaches Association, of which Belichick is the only non-member among head coaches.

Of course, it isn't the first time that Belichick's been asked about "Madden" and his lack of role in the franchise.

In 2012, Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel talked to Belichick about his absence from from Coaches Assoaciation and, as a result, the most popular football video game on the market.

From Yahoo Sports:

Historically, Belichick's shown little interest in humoring fans or media in regards to non-football appearances, be it at a press conference or in a video game. As a result, it's unlikely that Belichick's position on the NFLCA is going to change as a result of his "Madden" absence.

The doppelBelichick that is currently in "Madden" isn't a new phenomenon. Other EA Sports games have run into similar issues. For example, in editions of "MVP Baseball" that appeared in the mid-2000s, Barry Bonds and then-Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin Millar were mysteriously absent. This was a result of Millar not being in the MLB Players Association, as well as Bonds withdrawing from the MLBPA licensing agreement.