Papa John's Evaluating NFL Sponsorship, Tells Racists Not To Buy Its Pizza

(RTTNews) - Papa John's International Inc. is reconsidering its National Football League or NFL sponsorship amid declining television ratings for the sport, reports said. The pizza chain has blamed the lower rating partly on the national anthem protests that have troubled the league this season.

Meanwhile, Papa Johns has told racists not to buy its pizza after a neo-Nazi website claimed the pizza chain was the official pie of the alt-right.

Papa John's founder and CEO John Schnatter recently blamed his company's poor results on NFL players kneeling during the American national anthem to protest police brutality. But, the CEO was slammed on social media by consumers, and was also called a racist.

In response, Papa Johns sent message to neo-Nazis and other hate groups, warning them off their products.

Peter Collins, the senior director of public relations at Papa Johns, said in a statement, "We condemn racism in all forms and any and all hate groups that support it. We do not want these individuals or groups to buy our pizza."

As per reports, the company's top executives are in weekly discussions with the NFL to evaluate the returns for their advertising dollars. Before making any strong decisions, the executives will see what happens for the rest of the football season.

Schnatter reportedly slammed NFL leadership for not resolving the issue of players kneeling during the national anthem.

Papa John's is also said to be completely rethinking its advertising strategy as consumers move to digital. Papa John's operates nearly 5,000 stores.

The company's president and chief operating officer Steve Ritchie told The Wall Street Journal, "We are anxiously awaiting a solution to be created. That's what will put the league in a positive place for the players, the fan base and the partners associated with them."