Former U.S. Attorney Rollins weighs in with White Stadium opponents

Former U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins is weighing in with a group that opposes the public-private partnership to rebuild White Stadium, in a move that aligns her with Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft on a hot-button issue.

On Saturday, Rollins chimed in on an email chain on the stadium, advising organizers who oppose the project to “use leverage against politicians and the media” to gain more attention for their arguments. The email thread was addressed to dozens of recipients, including city officials and several reporters.

Rollins has stayed mostly out of the spotlight since she resigned as U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts in 2023. She left under pressure after federal probes alleged that she abused her authority in an attempt to influence the Suffolk County District Attorney’s race and had violated ethics rules by attending a Democratic fundraiser.

Kraft, the son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, has made Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's support for the stadium project a centerpiece of his campaign to oust her from City Hall. Under Wu's plan, the rebuilt stadium would primarily be dedicated to Boston school athletics, and used by a new women's professional soccer team for 20 games a year plus a practice day each game week.

Rollins' email did not explicitly pledge support for Kraft but sided with stadium opponents and took aim at the Wu administration's handling of the Kraft family's efforts to build a separate stadium for the New England Revolution in Everett.

“Don’t even get me started on the hypocrisy of Boston demanding a seat at the table” on the New England Revolution stadium in Everett and its traffic impacts, Rollins wrote, “while completely ignoring that exact same argument from the Host Communities of Roxbury, Dorchester and Jamaica Plain about White Stadium.”

Wu recently appeared in Charlestown to criticize the Kraft Group for what she called "insufficient" plans on managing traffic, prioritizing a local workforce, limiting noise and addressing climate resilience for their Everett project.

Rollins did not respond to requests for comment about the email chain, or whether she supports Kraft's candidacy.

The stadium battles have become a flashpoint in the mayoral race. White Stadium has drawn the ire of some community members and associations over both the projected price tag of the project and the view among some that a stadium will bring gentrification and traffic to the area.

“White Stadium is a racist trope that reminds me of busing and urban renewal all rolled into one,” said Rodney Singleton, a Roxbury resident who’s a leading voice against the project and who started the email chain to which Rollins responded. “You wouldn’t do this anywhere else in the city.”

Singleton confirmed that Rollins is a member of his email list and a supporter of his position, noting, "She's a neighbor first."

Rollins’ comments in the email came just days after she moderated a panel discussion on criminal justice that was a Kraft campaign event. The panel took place at Roxbury Community College, where she now works, and featured Robert Kraft, the candidate's father.

A spokesperson for the Kraft campaign acknowledged Rollins' apparent support of Kraft's position on the stadium.

"Our campaign is grateful for all of our supporters, including Rachael's," the spokesperson wrote in a statement. "This campaign is about bringing together people of all stripes who want change in this city and want a mayor that values transparency, accessibility, accountability, and competency, which Josh Kraft will bring to City Hall."

Kraft has criticized Wu for failing to disclose the full rising price of the White Stadium project. While originally pegged at $50 million and and then revised upward to $91 million, Kraft has alleged the expenses will exceed $172 million. Wu has denied Kraft's claim, but said she could not provide a new cost estimate until later this year — after next week's preliminary election.

Singleton and other opponents of the plan, including the Franklin Park Defenders, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and the NAACP, want to see it scrapped, and are pressing for a smaller venue used only by Boston schools and local residents.