New England Patriots team owner Robert Kraft announced Monday that he was pulling his support from Columbia University over the ongoing anti-Israel protest at the Manhattan campus.

“It was through the full academic scholarship Columbia gave me that I was able to attend college and get my start in life and for that I have been tremendously grateful,” Kraft said in a statement. “However, the school I love so much – the one that welcomed me and provided me with so much opportunity – is no longer an institution I recognize.”

“I am deeply saddened at the virulent hate that continues to grow on campus and throughout our country,” Kraft added. “I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken.

“It is my hope that Columbia and its leadership will stand up to this hate by ending these protests immediately and will work to earn back the respect and trust of many of us who have lost faith in the institution,” he continued.  

“It is my hope that in this difficult time, the Kraft Center at Columbia will serve as a source of security and safety for all Jewish students and faculty on campus who want to gather peacefully to practice their religions, to be together and to be welcomed.”

Kraft, who is worth $11.1 billion, has been a prolific donor to the university and funded the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life across from Columbia’s campus.

The center was kickstarted with a $11.5 million donation in 2000, with the billionaire donating another $1.5 million in 2005. 

Two years later, The Kraft Group pledged another $5 million in support of Columbia’s athletics program, which led to the naming of the Robert K. Kraft Field at the Baker Field Athletics Complex.  

Antisemitism controversy at Columbia University: Key events

• Columbia University President Minouche Shafik stepped down on Aug. 14 after facing backlash over the Ivy League’s anti-Israel protests.
• More than 280 anti-Israel demonstrators were cuffed at Columbia and the City of New York campuses in a “massive” NYPD operation a few months ago.
• Over 100 people were nabbed at the Ivy League campus after cops responded to Columbia’s request to help oust a destructive mob that had illegally taken over the Hamilton Hall academic building in April, NYC Mayor Eric Adams and police said.
• Hizzoner blamed the on-campus chaos on insurgents who have a “history of escalating situations and trying to create chaos” instead of protesting peacefully.
• More than 100 Columbia professors signed a letter defending students who support the “military action” by Hamas.

The 82-year-old Massachusetts native has ramped up efforts to fight antisemtism following the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, with his Foundation to Combat AntiSemitism running a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl as part of his “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” campaign.   

Kraft has also committed $25 million to raise awareness about rising antisemitism, according to The Wall Street Journal.

He has previously donated millions of dollars to causes in Israel, including the funding of sports complexes and other philanthropic endeavors.

Kraft made his announcement following the high profile protest taking place at Columbia University where hundreds have gathered to demand an end to the war in Gaza. 

The demonstrations, however, have included ugly episodes where protesters could be heard shouting antisemitic, anti-Israel and pro-Hamas chants.