But is it the pizza, the internet wonders?
The founder of Papa John’s says to blame his company’s woes on the protests, not the pizza.
In a conference call on Wednesday, John Schnatter said ( via Bloomberg) that “NFL leadership has hurt Papa John’s shareholders.”
“The NFL has hurt us by not resolving the current debacle to the players’ and owners’ satisfaction,” he said.
John “Papa John” Schnatter on protests: “This should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago.” Papa John’s is NFL sponsor. https://t.co/nFEdxsMySI
On 3Q earnings call, @papajohns CEO John Schnatter blames “NFL leadership” for “current debacle” between players and owners. Stock is -5%
More from ESPN:
Company executives declined to disclose exactly how much money in projected sales Papa John’s lost from its association with the NFL and declining ratings, which mean fewer people are ordering their product for game days, they said.
People on the internet immediately called this ridiculous and made jokes about the pizza.
Alternative take on Papa John’s sluggish sales:It’s not due to NFL players protesting injustice & inequality; it’s cuz your pizza is garbage
Better ingredients. Better takes. Papa John’s.
If I ever ate crappy Papa John’s pizza, I’d be boycotting it after this. https://t.co/GHG2GcyDPE
Papa John’s says anthem protests are hurting sales? They can try two remedies immediately. 1) Better ingredients. 2) Better Pizza…. right?
Maybe Papa John’s pizza just isn’t any good?
Kaep’s a national treasure, he kneeled so hard he destroyed Papa John’s pic.twitter.com/sUqEoJAFhA
Let’s start by addressing Papa John’s issues & I know you know what I’m taking about Darren. https://t.co/acUTZuvCjD
Papa John’s isn’t the only NFL sponsor to be affected by boycotts. Last month, a sheriff in Louisiana told a local Ford dealership that they would lose his department’s business as long as Ford advertised with the NFL, according to CNBC. The company’s response? From CNBC:
Since the controversy erupted last month, Ford has said it respects the rights of individuals to express their views. CNBC has reached out to the NFL to see if it has a comment on the Bossier Sheriff’s office decision to boycott a league sponsor.
