Patriots owner Robert Kraft banned rapper Macklemore from performing at the team’s stadium. It’s a move that immediately brings back the stinging memories of how Colin Kaepernick was blackballed, a stark reminder that the league’s past decisions continue to cast a long shadow over its present.
The NFL’s ‘Wrong’ Turn Remembered
Six years ago, we heard a lot about a “racial reckoning” in the NFL, but let’s be real, it never truly arrived. That was a chaotic time, with a White House completely out of control. We saw federal officials sweeping citizens off American streets in unmarked vehicles, armed guards surrounding the Lincoln Memorial, and even military vehicles rolling through residential neighborhoods. This was a direct, almost fascist, reaction to the protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd. It was only at this point that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, finally realizing things had spiraled too far, appeared on a Zoom call. He admitted the league was “wrong” for not listening to its players when they protested police brutality. The implication was crystal clear: the NFL had shown itself to be the harshest of all sports leagues in its reaction to the protests that began way back with Trayvon Martin in 2012 and continued through Ferguson and Baltimore.
Same Old Playbook, Different Name
So, what did that ‘wrong’ look like? It showed up in the league’s actions, proving itself to act in the most un-American of ways. We saw them blackballing Kaepernick, plain and simple. We watched as broadcast partners conveniently refused to air the national anthem, a deliberate move to undermine the protests. And, most embarrassingly, we had Goodell himself with his draconian announcement: teams would be subject to fines if any players dared to show dissent. Now, with Robert Kraft, a man once seen by many as the NFL’s “good guy,” making a call that directly echoes this very history by silencing Macklemore, it makes you wonder how much has truly changed. Is this really the same league that claimed to learn its lesson, or are we just seeing the same old playbook run again?
Howard Bryant, a sharp observer who’s written 11 books like *Full Dissidence* and *Kings and Pawns*, and also puts out work on Substack, has been watching this pattern play out. While we can’t predict the exact next steps, this specific move by Kraft forces us all to seriously look back at the league’s history with player and performer dissent. The stakes here aren’t about a win or a loss on the field, but about consistency, accountability, and the fundamental freedom of expression within the NFL’s massive platform. We’re left to see if the league will truly live up to its past admissions, or if the same frustrating patterns of silencing critical voices will just keep repeating, echoing through the stadiums once again.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Guardian.
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