Key facts
- Colin Kaepernick accused NFL owners of colluding against Macklemore.
- Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran's tour for pro-Palestinian remarks.
- Kaepernick sees parallels between Macklemore's situation and his own NFL career.
- Robert Kraft and other NFL stadium owners reportedly threatened to block Macklemore.
- Four supporting acts withdrew from Ed Sheeran's tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
Colin Kaepernick has accused NFL owners of colluding against rapper Macklemore after the artist was removed from Ed Sheeran's tour for making pro-Palestinian remarks onstage. Kaepernick, whose NFL career was effectively ended after his protests against police violence, stated that he sees parallels between his own experience and Macklemore's situation.
During an appearance on the MeidasTouch podcast, Kaepernick said that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and other NFL owners were "willing to collude" to deny Macklemore the opportunity to perform. Macklemore had been a supporting act on Ed Sheeran's tour and had called for a "Free Palestine" during a performance at New Jersey's MetLife stadium.
According to reports, Kraft and other stadium owners threatened to block access to their venues if Macklemore was not dropped, leading to his removal from the tour. Sheeran stated that the decision was made by the promoter, not by him, and that he does not use his professional platform for politics, despite holding personal views on the conflict.
Four supporting acts, including Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Beoga, and Lukas Graham, have since withdrawn from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore. These artists cited reasons such as the need for artists not to be silenced, opposition to silencing voices speaking against "Israeli genocide," and the belief that "nobody's bank balance should decide who gets to speak."
Kaepernick's own NFL career was impacted after he began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality and social injustice. He filed a grievance against the NFL in 2017, which was settled in 2019.