Gordon Bombay will not be returning to coach the Mighty Ducks, and star Emilio Estevez’s COVID-19 vaccination status may have something to do with that.

According to Deadline, Estevez — who reprised his role from the Disney film franchise for the new Disney+ series “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers” — won’t be coming back for a second season.

In a response to the report, Estevez confirmed the news, explaining that his exit was due to “nothing more than a good old fashioned contract dispute” as well as “a myriad of creative differences” along with “a myriad of creative differences.”

Explaining, “I am not anti-vaxx. Full stop,” the actor opened up about his experience with COVID-19, which he learned he had contracted in early 2020, revealing that he “suffered the summer and fall of 2020 from what we now know as ‘Long Haul Syndrome.'”

Estevez said, “I take this pandemic very seriously, and I am often teased about my continued following of the safety protocols and my abundance of caution.

“As the show went back into production in August 2020, I reluctantly soldiered on, but was uncertain about how I would be safe on set,” he said. “I questioned the wisdom of returning to make a tv show in the middle of a pandemic and how actors could be considered “essential workers.”

Addressing fans of the franchise, Estevez added, “It was an honour and a thrill to be able to return as the iconic and beloved character, Gordon Bombay, a character which has been a celebrated benchmark in my 40 year career. And I thank the studio and the producers for creating an opportunity to allow me to visit him again.”

Deadline originally cited sources claiming that Disney Television Studios’ ABC Signature, which produces the series for Disney+, “made the decision not to pick up Estevez’s option for Season 2 after weeks of back and forth with his team over the show’s COVID vaccination requirement.

Reps for both the studio declined Deadline‘s request for comment.

READ MORE: Emilio Estevez Is Back On The Ice In The First Look At Disney+’s New ‘Mighty Ducks’ Series

As Deadline noted, “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers” is one of many productions to adopt a mandatory vaccination policy for the cast and crew in Zone A (which is defined as the area on set involving actors and the crew members who come into contact with them).

“According to sources, Estevez, through his reps, has declined to provide assurances that he would comply with the policy,” Deadline continued, leaving the show “at an impasse as the Season 2 scripts were being written and the planned early 2022 start of production was looming.” As a result, the scripts will reportedly be adjusted to accommodate the absence of Estevez’s character.

However, there may be more to the story than that; Deadline also cites “sources close to Estevez” claiming that “creative differences may have played a role in his exit.”