Papa John's: We Didn't Mean to Be 'divisive' On NFL Protests
CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 11/17/2017, 6:48 a.m.
Papa John's
Papa John's is trying to repair the damage caused by its CEO's controversial comments about the NFL protests. Two weeks ago, CEO John Schnatter triggered fierce criticism by saying the pizza chain's sales were hurt by the NFL's handling of the controversy over players kneeling during the National Anthem to protest police violence and racial injustice. The comments spurred a backlash on social media, made the company the butt of jokes on late night shows and forced it to distance itself from neo-Nazi groups. Papa John's -- which has been a league sponsor since 2010 -- attempted an apology on Twitter. "The statements made on our earnings call were describing the factors that impact our business and we sincerely apologize to anyone that thought they were divisive," it said. "That definitely was not our intention." The pizza chain said that it supports "the players' movement to create a new platform for change" but that it also believes that "as Americans, we should honor our anthem."
