Kaepernick accuses NFL owners of colluding to push Macklemore off Sheeran tour
Colin Kaepernick accused NFL owners of openly colluding to push Macklemore off Ed Sheeran's stadium tour.
He made the remarks on the MeidasTouch podcast, in an interview first reported as an exclusive by MeidasNews. Kaepernick said that by denying Macklemore the chance to perform, Robert Kraft and other owners showed a willingness to work together against an artist, which he described as open collusion, according to The Guardian. "They want to protect their power," he said.
Macklemore had been a supporting act on Sheeran's tour. At MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, he told the crowd he wanted the people of Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know "we have not forgotten about them" and said "free Palestine."
Kraft and several other owners of NFL stadiums on the tour route then said they would not let Macklemore play in their venues. That pressure led to Macklemore's removal from the tour. Sheeran has said the call was not his. He agreed to bring Macklemore on the road because he respects him as an artist, according to reporting published Sept. 15.
The fallout spread quickly. All four supporting acts listed for upcoming Sheeran dates withdrew in support of Macklemore.
Kraft said his decision to bar Macklemore from the Patriots' stadium rested on recent actions and what he called a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery deeply offensive to the Jewish community.
What makes this stand out is Kaepernick's own history with the league. He began kneeling during the national anthem during the 2016 NFL season to protest police brutality and social injustice. He left the San Francisco 49ers after that season and has not played in the league since, after going unsigned by any team.
Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL in 2017, alleging owners conspired to keep him out. The case was settled in 2019 with terms undisclosed.
The dispute also touched the current season. Kyrie Irving said he would pay an $11,492 fine issued to Azeez Al-Shair after Al-Shair used a league-banned face marking to display the name of a Palestinian girl killed by Israel.
