NFL owners were allegedly promised no Palestine talk after Ed Sheeran’s first MetLife show

Several NFL team owners were reportedly assured that Macklemore would remove references to Palestine from his second performance during Ed Sheeran’s tour stop at MetLife Stadium, but the rapper ultimately continued with the messaging.

According to The Wall Street Journal, some NFL owners raised objections following Macklemore’s first performance at the New Jersey stadium, during which he expressed support for Palestinians. The report said the owners were subsequently assured that references to Palestine would be removed from Macklemore’s second-night performance.

However, Macklemore continued to include pro-Palestinian messaging during the show. The Wall Street Journal did not identify who gave the reported assurance to the NFL owners or establish that Macklemore personally made such a commitment.

The newspaper identified owners of the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles as among those who objected to Macklemore’s messaging and were prepared to cancel Sheeran’s scheduled concerts at their stadiums if the rapper remained on the lineup. Macklemore was subsequently removed from the remaining dates of Sheeran’s Loop Tour.

The rapper later accused New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft of playing a central role in his removal, alleging that Kraft objected to his participation at Gillette Stadium and encouraged other venue owners to take similar action. Kraft has previously funded initiatives aimed at combating antisemitism and established a command centre at Gillette Stadium intended to monitor hate speech, including antisemitic abuse.

Following his removal from Sheeran’s tour, Macklemore announced that he would donate what he described as his entire $1 million in net earnings from the Loop Tour to six organisations supporting Palestinians. He also publicly challenged Kraft to match the donation. Kraft subsequently announced that he would donate $2 million to provide humanitarian assistance to people in the region.

The latest report adds further detail to the dispute surrounding Macklemore’s departure from Sheeran’s tour, although it remains unclear who gave NFL owners the reported assurance that the rapper would remove references to Palestine from his second MetLife Stadium performance.