Alan Clendenin
Role at the time: Tampa City Council chairperson and member of the Tampa Sports Authority board
Statement summary
Alan Clendenin, chairperson of the Tampa City Council and a member of the Tampa Sports Authority board, told the Tampa Bay Times that Macklemore's removal from the Loop Tour had nothing to do with the authority. He said the authority does not get involved in free speech issues and called the matter one between other stadiums, the artists and their promoters.
“The Tampa Sports Authority’s position hasn’t changed: We don’t get involved in freedom of speech issues We are a public facility and we’re doing business as the Tampa Sports Authority. This had to do with certain owners that are not in the city of Tampa taking a stance, and they are discussing with the artists involved. This is between other stadiums, the artists, and the artists’ promoters.”
Tampa Bay Times report of September 15, 2026 on whether the Tampa Sports Authority, the public agency that manages Raymond James Stadium, played a part in Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's U.S. tour. It quotes several authority board members.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
The case looks at Macklemore's Free Palestine speech and his removal from the tour. Clendenin did not take a side on either. He said the Tampa Sports Authority does not get involved in free speech issues and pointed to other stadiums, the artists and their promoters as the parties involved, so we labeled it Explicitly stayed out.