Papa John's Sorry For Anthem Comments

(RTTNews) - Papa John's has issued an apology after the pizza chain had blamed the protests by NFL players during the national anthem as the reason for its slowing sales growth.

"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. That definitely was not our intention," the company wrote in a series of tweets.

"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."

"We will work with the players and league to find a positive way forward. Open to ideas from all. Except neo-nazis -- (middle finger emoji) those guys."

Two weeks ago, Papa John's, which is a sponsor and advertiser of the NFL, said the outcry related to NFL players kneeling during the national anthem to protest as well as falling NFL ratings affected its sales. According to the company, customers have a negative view of the chain's association with the NFL.

"NFL leadership has hurt Papa John's shareholders," said the chain's CEO, John Schnatter, in a call with analysts. "This should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago."