The NFL’s annual schedule release has become less about matchups and more about meme warfare. Every May, teams unleash an avalanche of digital chaos. Right from animated mashups, celebrity cameos, and enough inside jokes to rival a Reddit thread. But this year, the Colts forgot the first rule of comedy: timing is everything. Especially when you’re dragging one of the league’s most explosive players into the bit.
The Colts’ now-deleted Minecraft-themed video was supposed to be a fun, blocky tribute to Week 1 opponents. Instead, it veered into eyebrow-raising territory when a dolphin donning Tyreek Hill’s No. 10 jersey was swimming toward a pixelated Coast Guard boat. Sirens blared. An officer glared. You didn’t need a decoder ring to catch the punchline.
If you remembered Hill’s brief run-in with the law before last season’s opener. Nothing says “welcome to the new season” like reenacting a guy’s detainment in 16-bit animation. But here’s where it gets wild. While the internet collectively cringed and the Colts scrambled for damage control—apologizing to both Hill and Microsoft (who owns Minecraft)—Hill himself took to X with a shrug and a wink.
“Should’ve left it up, this was funny,” Hill posted, quote-tweeting the clip with a digital chuckle that only he could deliver. That’s right. The clip didn’t offend Hill. In fact, he sounded a little disappointed that the Colts folded under pressure and hit delete. But maybe he sounding off the horn that the game’s on: ‘If you’re coming for the Cheetah, you best not miss.’
Behind the scenes, the Colts weren’t laughing. They yanked the video, issued a formal apology, and reached out to Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, in what we can only assume was a conversation that started with “So about that dolphin…” The team admitted the clip was both “insensitive” and a violation of their usage rights with Microsoft. A double whammy that turned an attempt at schedule release swagger into a corporate facepalm.
For the record, the Chargers also went the Minecraft route, but with actual permission from Microsoft and zero felony reenactments. As for the league office? According to NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, they don’t vet team videos. Which, considering the growing production budgets and thirst for viral clout, feels a bit like letting everyone bring fireworks to a bonfire and hoping no one aims at the gas can.
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