Ever since he was a kid, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick knew what his race meant. And any time someone bullied him, sports became his escape. You see, sports were always a matter of whether you won or you lost, or whether you did your role or you did not. It doesn’t care who you are or what your beliefs are. But once in the NFL, he learned that the two things were not always so separate. To date, he continues to put up the fight, and he has recently found his story replaying in rapper Macklemore’s situation.

Currently, singer Ed Sheeran is on his US Loop Tour and has events lined up at Gillette Stadium, the New England Patriots‘ home. However, the Jewish franchise owner Robert Kraft banned his opening act, Macklemore, due to his recent comments during his September 4 performance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. In a back-and-forth spiral, the rapper alleged that Kraft also rallied other stadium owners to follow suit, something that Kaepernick knows all too well.

“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.'”

The whole dialogue started when Macklemore made comments on the Israel-Palestine war, dedicated a song to pro-Palestinian protestors, and showed images of Gaza. However, he also stated that criticism of Israel was not intended as criticism of “my Jewish brothers and sisters.” Kraft, obviously, did not heed that final fact.

The Kraft-Macklemore situation’s evolution

On Monday, Kraft had written in a statement about banning Macklemore for his comments. As a result, other opening acts for Sheeran also dropped out to show their support for the rapper, even though the British singer cleared that Macklemore being removed was a decision by his promoters, Messina Touring Group, and not him, which is understandable.

Sheeran’s promoters have already paid for the venues, the event planning, and the tickets are also sold. If the events were to be canceled, not only would the agency face a loss, but, as Sheeran stated, he did not want his fans to be disheartened by the situation.

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. At the same time, while breaking the news of his removal, the rapper also accused the Patriots owner.

He admitted that “Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners,” to bar him from performing. Kraft, meanwhile, acknowledged that he opposed Macklemore performing at Gillette but did not clarify whether he influenced other venue owners.

“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.”

However, the singer has remained on Macklemore’s side.

Ed Sheeran supports his opener, while Kraft shares his thoughts on “building bridges”

On Tuesday, Sheeran made a statement where he said that he respects “Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes.” He also mentioned that while he doesn’t use his platform for such matters, he does support the causes in his own way. However, others who have stepped down from Sheeran’s tour to open for him have asked him to take a stand for Macklemore and what NFL team owners have decided for him. Interestingly, Kraft has more or less hedged his statements as well.

On Thursday, Gillette Stadium issued a statement on Kraft’s behalf, in which the businessman said he wishes the pro-Palestinian people to know that he has “supported efforts that create opportunity for Palestinians.” He also stated that he has worked to bring “young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships.”

“I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people,” Kraft said. “I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting.”

As of now, Sheeran has promised his fans that he will not cancel his events, even if it meant he had to reconfigure the sets so he can perform solo. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is aware of the drama Macklemore is facing.

Colin Kaepernick sees his story replay in the Macklemore drama

As everything unfolded, Kaepernick drew a parallel between the drama surrounding Macklemore and his own situation with the NFL nearly a decade ago.

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. He sees that happening with Macklemore now.

“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 former 49ers safety 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.