Pearl, a prominent Jewish voice in college sports, praised Kraft as a "hero and a patriot" for taking a firm stand against antisemitism.Speaking with Dakich, Pearl argued that Macklemore's messaging crosses from political commentary into overt hate speech.BRUCE PEARL EXPLAINS WHY HE REFUSES TO STAY SILENT ON ISRAEL AND ANTISEMITISM"I think it's great to have this discussion," Pearl said."Here's where I want to go with what he said, because it wasn't just about hating the Jews.
'Free Palestine,' to Palestinians or to Arabs, means free Palestine of the Jews.How would you free Palestine of the Jews? Well, you either scare them off, run them off, or murder them."Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl during the first half of the South Regional final of the 2025 NCAA Tournament against the Michigan State Spartans at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 30, 2025.
(Brett Davis/Imagn Images)Macklemore performs before an NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Sept.19, 2021, in Seattle.
(Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images) (Tom Hauck/Getty Images)New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft speaks to the crowd, Sunday, Feb.1, 2026, during a Patriots NFL football Send Off rally in Foxborough, Massachusetts, for Super Bowl LX.
(AP Photo/Steven Senne)During Ed Sheeran's tour at MetLife Stadium, Macklemore sparked controversy with anti-Israel rants and his protest track "Hind's Hall."MACKLEMORE'S LONG HISTORY OF CONTROVERSY FROM GRAMMY WINS TO 'FREE PALESTINE' CONCERT REMARKSKraft subsequently banned him from Gillette Stadium, citing Macklemore's history of anti-Semitic tropes, including a 2014 Seattle outfit widely condemned as a Hasidic Jewish caricature.Kraft's move triggered a wave of venue rejections, forcing tour promoters to drop Macklemore entirely.Pearl warned that many people repeat activist slogans without understanding their historical weight."Free of colonization or free of genocide or whatever terms people use, that's not...