Colin Kaepernick has accused NFL owners of "openly colluding" against Macklemore, after the rapper said he was removed from the Ed Sheeran Loop Tour following his "Free Palestine" comments on stage.
Kaepernick is no stranger to being on the wrong side of the NFL. The former quarterback hasn't played in the league since the 2016 season, the same year that he took a knee during the national anthem in protest of social injustice and police brutality. Now the 38-year-old believes he sees something similar happening with Macklemore, which he discussed on the MeidasTouch podcast with Ben Meiselas.
"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," Kaepernick said.
"They are openly colluding."
Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL in 2017 before settling in 2019. The quarterback-turned-activist said that the latest concert drama is another example of team owners protecting their power, interests and money.
"When we filed the grievance, it was like, well, the owners wouldn’t do that," Kaepernick said. "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's removal came after pressure from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who told Sheeran that the artist wouldn't be able to perform at Gillette Stadium following the rapper's comments. According to Macklemore, Kraft also obtained the support of other NFL teams to prevent the tour from continuing in that form.
"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 said in part, in a statement obtained by USA TODAY Sports on Sept. 14.
Kaepernick sees this entire situation as another opportunity to organize, adding that people need to protect their interests before it's too late.
"It may not touch you today, at some point it's 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," he said.
"We should be taking action actively right now."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colin Kaepernick accuses NFL owners of 'openly colluding' against Macklemore
