After the recent decision made by Ed Sheeran to remove Macklemore from his tour, thanks in part to the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick might've uncovered a silver lining we're all missing.

During an interview with the MeidasTouch podcast, Kaepernick stated that he believes the whole debacle proves that NFL owners are “willing to collude,” which could spell trouble in the future. Remember, Macklemore alleged that Kraft presented Sheeran with an “ultimatum.” Had he kept him on tour, Kraft wouldn't allow Macklemore or Sheeran to take the stage. Other stadium owners allegedly felt the same way.

“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 perform with Ed Sheeran is [that] they are willing to collude. They are openly colluding,” he said, almost with a nervous chuckle.

KAEPERNICK: The part that I hope people take away in this moment is what Robert Kraft and what they’re saying by denying Macklemore the opportunity to perform with Ed Sheeran is they are willing to collude. They are openly colluding.

When we filed the grievance, it was like,… pic.twitter.com/0KgcWV5Wog

— Acyn (@Acyn) September 16, 2026

He related it to his own experiences after filing a grievance against the NFL and team owners in 2017. To Kaepernick, this showed that all the owners cared about was protecting “power” and “money.”

“They also want people to know that if you take an action that they don't agree with, they will come for you,” he explained. “And that was some of the warning coming out of the protest and some of the warning coming out of the grievance, is that they will organize against you.”

In turn, Kaepernick believes “we collectively have to organize to be able to protect our interests as well” going forward. This should be a call to action of sorts.

He “hopes” this situation involving Macklemore opens people's eyes, saying, “While it may not touch you today, at some point, it's gonna come knocking on your doorstep, or someone you love's doorstep, and that's not the moment to be able to take action.”

While opening for Sheeran during his concerts at MetLife Stadium on Sep. 4 and 5, Macklemore went on a political rant, which included a chant to “Free Palestine.”

This caught fire online, and Sheeran ultimately removed Macklemore from the remaining dates of his Loop Tour. In turn, his backing band, Beoga, and other opening artists such as Finneas, Lukas Graham, and Aaron Rowe, dropped out as well.