Papa John's gets bad news from Peyton Manning after severing NFL ties
When Papa John’s founder John Schnatter first pinned his company’s lagging 2017 sales on the NFL and its anthem protesters, it was clear that things were headed for an ugly ending.
“The NFL has hurt us. We are disappointed the NFL and its leadership did not resolve [the issue of national anthem protests],” Schnatter said in November.
“Leadership starts at the top and this is an example of poor leadership,” he added, in a not-so-veiled shot at NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Schnatter also said he thought the issue had been “nipped in the bud” a year and a half ago.
The company promptly apologized shortly after Schnatter’s comments went public.
We believe in the right to protest inequality and support the players’ movement to create a new platform for change. We also believe together, as Americans, we should honor our anthem. There is a way to do both. (2/3)
— Papa Johns (@PapaJohns) November 15, 2017
It didn’t take long for things to deteriorate from there.
Schnatter stepped down as CEO in December, and while his comments from November might not have had as much to do with his move as the poor sales, the comments certainly didn’t help his cause.
Just a few short months later, the NFL and Papa John’s mutually agreed to end their partnership in late February.
It was an abrupt ending to the partnership, and it was made all the more eyebrow-raising when the NFL inked a deal with Pizza Hut less than a day after the initial separation was reported.
The new deal with Pizza Hut meant the NFL was basically severing any and all connections to Papa John’s.
One lingering vestige of that relationship was the fact that NFL ambassador and future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning still owned 31 Papa John’s restaurants in the Denver area.
It’s clearly a close relationship as Manning infamously kissed Schnatter on the cheek before even getting to his championship hat at the conclusion of Super Bowl 50.
With Schnatter out as CEO and the NFL no longer in any sort of relationship with Papa John’s, Manning has sold his shares in all 31 of those restaurants, effectively ending his relationship with the pizza chain. Manning first scooped up the restaurants in 2012.
Peter Collins, a Papa John’s spokesman, confirmed to The Denver Post that Manning had sold his shares and that another franchisee had already purchased the stores in which Manning had a stake.
“The franchisee that purchased the market is excited about the future of our business and assumed ownership of all Papa John’s locations in the Denver, Co., market on Feb. 26, 2018,” Collins told The Post.
Ultimately, Papa John’s didn’t lose anything tangible in the sense that another franchisee is picking up right where Manning left off. But losing as recognizable and as revered a spokesman and ambassador as Manning? That’s not good no matter which way you slice it.
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