Papa John’s Apologizes for Recent Statement Aimed at NFL Protests
The official pizza of the NFL reported earlier this month that a dip in their sales had to do with football players kneeling during the National Anthem.CEO John Schantter told ESPN’s Darren Ravell that, “We are disappointed the NFL and its leadership did not resolve this,” referring to the recent protests. Schantter also said that the ongoing protests represented “poor leadership” by the NFL.
In response to sales being down, Papa John’s also yanked some of their ads that would have been shown during scheduled football games.
However, this act of rage backfired for the company as they found an unwanted supporter. Members of the alt- right accepted the actions of Papa John’s as support for their cause, leading to the company being named the official pizza of the hateful movement by white supremacist website Daily Stormer.
Today, Papa John’s attempted to settle the situation once and for all with a string of tweets.
We will work with the players and league to find a positive way forward. Open to ideas from all. Except neo-nazis — those guys. (3/3)
— Papa John’s Pizza (@PapaJohns) November 15, 2017
What did you think of Papa John’s apology? Did it appropriately address the situation, or will you be dialing Domino’s for your next pizza delivery?
Hear what others had to say on twitter:
Took you two weeks? Papa John’s Apologizes For Blaming Player Protests On Declining Sales https://t.co/c2NKJ141MD via @RollingStone
— Andrea Mérida Cuéllar (@andreamerida) November 15, 2017
You’re right that it took too long. Over the past week it became obvious that our position was unclear. We are committed to working with players and the league to have a positive impact on the situation. Stay tuned.
— Papa John’s Pizza (@PapaJohns) November 15, 2017
Stop buying from Papa John’s!
— Stryker (@Stryker1781) November 15, 2017
