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          Boycotts, bruised egos: How players reacted to 'Madden NFL 20' ratings

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          The life of a Madden ratings adjuster (6:59)

          E:60 explores what it's like to walk in the shoes of a Madden ratings adjuster, from the conference room to the field and how the position came to be. (6:59)

          • ESPN
          Jul 14, 2019, 07:41 PM

          NFL players will report to training camp in mere days, but some of their minds aren't on the practice field just yet. Right now, they are reacting to how EA Sports employees rated them in the upcoming video game "Madden NFL 20," which will be released Aug. 2.

          The player ratings were released on Monday by EA, and didn't take long to evoke some strong reactions:

          Chips on their shoulders

          You don't make it to the NFL without having an ego, and that was on full display for some players who believed that they were being disrespected.

          Among them was the Cowboys' DeMarcus Lawrence, who signed a five-year, $105 million contract this offseason but wasn't among the five defensive ends deemed worthy of a 90 rating.

          He's an 89, and he called for a boycott of the game in protest.

          Chargers receiver Keenan Allen had similar thoughts.

          Bears backup quarterback Chase Daniel broke down the numbers for some of his Chicago teammates.

          And others had a bone to pick with the raters as well.

          Second-guessed by 'Honey Badger'

          Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu didn't complain about his rating -- an 87, by the way -- but did chime in on other players he thought were slighted.

          All in fun

          Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been in the game since the Playstation 2 and original Xbox days, and while his accuracy makes him among the best in the real world and the virtual one, he's never going to outrun anybody. And he had fun with his tortoise-like 60 speed rating.

          EA had some fun with Brady, too.

          Garbage in, garbage out

          Ravens safety Tony Jefferson probably summed up the feelings of most players after the ratings reveal.