In his lengthy Instagram post, rapper Macklemore alleged that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft told Ed Sheeran that if Macklemore remained on the tour, Sheeran would not be allowed to perform at Gillette Stadium. At the same time, the rapper alleged that Kraft rallied other stadium owners to take the same position, effectively giving Sheeran an ultimatum:
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“If Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is aware of the drama Macklemore is facing. Following his national anthem protest in 2016, Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL, alleging that league owners had colluded to prevent him from obtaining employment because of his protest.
Now, after Kraft’s reported opposition to Macklemore performing at Gillette Stadium gained traction, Kaepernick has revealed that NFL owners will do anything to protect their interests, power, and money.
“The part that I hope people appreciate and take away in this moment is what 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,” said Kaepernick on the MeidasTouch Podcast. “They are openly colluding. And when we filed the grievance, it was like, ‘Well, the owners wouldn’t do that.’
“Everybody just wants to win within the NFL. 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.”
Macklemore was scheduled to open Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, including eight of the tour’s final ten U.S. shows. However, things escalated when the rapper made pro-Palestinian comments during his September 4 performance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. He was subsequently removed from the remaining U.S. dates.
Tour promoter Messina Touring Group confirmed it had been notified by venues on upcoming tour dates that they would not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup. The promoter said this could have resulted in the cancellation of the tour and affected hundreds of thousands of fans.
At the same time, while breaking the news of his removal, the rapper also accused the Patriots owner, admitting, “Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners,” for barring him from performing. Kraft, meanwhile, acknowledged that he opposed Macklemore performing at Gillette.
“This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf,” said the Patriots owner. “But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas … whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike.”
As that unfolded, Colin Kaepernick drew a parallel between the drama surrounding Macklemore and his own situation with the NFL nearly a decade ago. And this is exactly why the former 49ers quarterback believes that people need to take action against the NFL owners organizing against them.
“That was some of the warning coming out of the protest,” Kaepernick added. “And some of the warning coming out of the grievance is that they will organize against you, which means that we collectively have to organize to be able to protect our interests as well.
“I hope this gives a space where people realize how significant this is and also gives a little bit of insight into the fact that while it may not touch you today, at some point it is going to come knocking on your doorstep or someone you love’s doorstep. And that’s not the moment to be able to take action. We should be taking action actively right now.”
In 2017, Kaepernick filed a grievance under the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement alleging that the owners colluded against him following his 2016 protest. An arbitrator allowed the grievance to proceed in 2018, but Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid ultimately settled with the NFL in 2019 without public disclosure of the settlement terms.
“For the past several months, counsel for Mr. Kaepernick and Mr. Reid have engaged in an ongoing dialogue with representatives of the NFL,” read a 2019 joint statement from the NFL and Kaepernick’s lawyers. “As a result of those discussions, the parties have decided to resolve the pending grievances. The resolution of this matter is subject to a confidentiality agreement so there will be no further comment by any party.”
Thus, when Kaepernick calls the Macklemore situation “openly colluding,” he is drawing on his own experience with what he believes is the ability of powerful organizations to collectively protect their interests.