Colin Kaepernick has accused NFL owners of openly colluding against Macklemore after the rapper was removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour. The cancellation followed Macklemore’s pro-Palestinian remarks at a New Jersey concert, drawing pressure from Patriots owner Robert Kraft and other stadium executives ahead of scheduled Gillette Stadium dates.
The controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s concert schedule has drawn a sharp public intervention from Colin Kaepernick. Speaking on the MeidasTouch podcast, the former quarterback drew a direct parallel between the rapper’s sudden sidelining and his own exile from the NFL following his national anthem protests.
How the Macklemore Tour Ban Unfolded at Gillette Stadium
Macklemore’s troubles began during an appearance at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, where he addressed the crowd about the Middle East, telling attendees he wanted people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know we have not forgotten about them alongside shouts of free Palestine. The remarks triggered immediate backlash from venue leadership, specifically New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
According to the artist’s social media disclosures, Kraft contacted Ed Sheeran directly to inform him that the rapper would be barred from performing at Gillette Stadium for concerts originally scheduled for September 25 and 26. Macklemore stated that Kraft subsequently rallied fellow stadium owners to issue an ultimatum forcing his removal from the entire tour.
“Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”
The fallout extended rapidly across the lineup. All four supporting acts scheduled for upcoming dates of Sheeran’s tour have since withdrawn in solidarity with Macklemore.
Robert Kraft Defends the Venue Ban Amid Antisemitism Concerns
Robert Kraft defended the decision to bar Macklemore from Gillette Stadium by pointing to what he characterized as a pattern of divisive rhetoric. The Patriots owner, who is a prominent Jewish philanthropist and longtime supporter of Israel, issued a detailed statement explaining that the rapper’s stage comments crossed a line into hate speech.
“Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line.”
Kraft emphasized that his objection was not intended to diminish the suffering of innocent Palestinians, whose pain he acknowledged as real. However, he argued that selective advocacy that ignores the actions of Hamas only deepens divisiveness. He noted his decades of directing resources to Palestine while maintaining that standing against antisemitism and hate remains a primary responsibility.
Colin Kaepernick Sees Parallels to His Own NFL Blacklist
For Colin Kaepernick, the coordination among stadium owners represents a familiar playbook of institutional retaliation. During his appearance with Ben Meiselas on the MeidasTouch podcast, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback argued that league powerbrokers are protecting their financial interests and sending a stern warning to anyone who steps out of line.
“The part that I hope people appreciate and take away in this moment is what [New England Patriots owner] Robert Kraft and what they’re saying by denying Macklemore the opportunity to go out and perform with Ed Sheeran is they are willing to collude. The [NFL owners] are openly colluding.”
Colin Kaepernick Says NFL Owners Are “Openly Colluding” Against Macklemore
Colin Kaepernick, via The Guardian
Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and social injustice during the 2016 NFL season. Unsigned after that year, he filed a grievance against the league in 2017, which culminated in an undisclosed settlement in 2019.
Reflecting on that legal battle, Kaepernick noted that public skepticism initially greeted his claims of owner coordination. When we filed the grievance, it was like, Well, the owners wouldn’t do that, Kaepernick said on the podcast. And the realization is, no. They want to protect their interests. They want to protect their power. They want to protect their money. And they also want people to know that if you take an action that they don’t agree with, they will come for you.
Wider Athlete Activism Intersects With League Fines
The controversy arrives alongside separate player discipline across professional sports relating to the ongoing Middle East conflict. On Wednesday, NBA star Kyrie Irving announced he would cover an $11,492 fine levied by the NFL against Azeez Al-Shair. The player had displayed the name of a Palestinian girl killed by Israel using a face marking prohibited by league uniform regulations.
Photo: sportingnews.com
As pressure mounts around speech and venue access, Kaepernick cautioned that public silence offers no insulation against future crackdowns. Whether similar friction points will emerge at other sports complexes hosting major musical acts remains an open question as tour organizers navigate the fallout from stadium-level bans.
Omar El Sayed is Archyde’s World Editor, focused on international affairs, diplomacy, conflict, and cross-border political developments. He brings a global newsroom perspective to complex events and helps readers understand how regional stories connect to wider geopolitical shifts.
