Patrick Manteiga
Role at the time: Member of the Tampa Sports Authority board
Statement summary
Patrick Manteiga, a member of the Tampa Sports Authority board, told the Tampa Bay Times that after the authority's experience with the Ye concerts he would hate to say the First Amendment matters in that case but not for Macklemore. He said he is happy to side on the First Amendment all day long.
“After going through the Kanye thing, I would hate to say that the First Amendment matters there and it doesn’t matter here I’m happy to side on the First Amendment all day long.”
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. Manteiga said he would hate to say the First Amendment mattered for Ye's Tampa concerts but not for Macklemore, and that he is happy to side with the First Amendment. That supports Macklemore's right to perform, so we labeled it Defended or excused, as with other statements that support Macklemore's right to speak.