Robert Kraft has broken his silence after Macklemore issued the NFL owner a public challenge after the musician was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour for voicing his support of the Palestinian people.
“I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people,” Kraft, who owns the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, where Macklemore was previously scheduled to perform, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, September 16. “I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting.”
Kraft, 85, added, “Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis.”
The businessman hinted that he and Sheeran, 35, had come to their own agreement after Macklemore, 43, was booted from Sheeran’s Loop Tour following his on-stage comments regarding Israel’s deadly response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.
Finneas and other musical acts are showing their support for Macklemore — and the Palestinian people — by exiting Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour amid the controversial decision to drop the Seattle rapper from the show. “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” Finneas, 29, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, September […]
“Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges,” Kraft, who has been vocal about his pro-Israel stance, continued.
He concluded by asking for grace from Palestine supporters amid the backlash of his involvement in Macklemore being dropped from the tour.
“In addition, I’d like to ask the people who are speaking in support of the Palestine people to know that for decades, I have supported efforts that create opportunities for Palestinians,” Kraft wrote. “And have brought young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs and forge relationships.”
Bill Belichick and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft forged a historic partnership in the NFL before their relationship devolved into public mudslinging. Belichick coached the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships between 2002 and 2019. The coach announced in January 2024 that he’d reached a mutual decision with Kraft to leave the team, despite […]
Kraft’s remarks come after Macklemore turned heads in early September for chanting “Free Palestine” and denouncing genocide in all forms before performing his protest track “Hind’s Hall” in opposition of Israel’s war in Gaza during his September 4 and 5 shows in New Jersey.
Macklemore, one of Sheeran’s opening acts during his Loop Tour, was subsequently dropped from the remaining shows, one of which was planned for Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on September 25 and 26.
“Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that 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 told ESPN on Monday, September 14, in a statement.
Macklemore performing in France. Arnaud Finistre/AFP
Sheeran, for his part, issued a statement on the controversy, claiming “venues on my upcoming tour dates communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting.”
The musician explained via Instagram on Tuesday, September 15, “I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said. I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge.”
Sheeran claimed, “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine. Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.”
He further alleged that despite the drama, he respects Macklemore “as an artist.”
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has admitted that he never expected to get married again after the death of his first wife, Myra Hiatt Kraft. Robert and Myra were married for 48 years and welcomed four sons before she died from ovarian cancer at age 68 in 2011. The sports executive later dated actress […]
As the scandal continued to make headlines, Finneas and Lukas Graham announced that they would no longer be performing on the Loop Tour. Irish singer Aaron Rowe and folk band Beoga also decided to drop out of Sheeran’s upcoming dates.
Macklemore, meanwhile, announced on Wednesday that he is donating the $1 million he earned from the Loop Tour to six organizations that work directly to support the people in Palestine.
“I invite Robert Kraft to match my donation. Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting,” he wrote via Instagram. “A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth. That is what this has always been about. Not me. Not a tour. Not the headlines or the controversy. It is about Palestinians’ right to freedom, dignity and safety in their own homeland.”
