A Papa John’s representative said Monday that the company doesn’t want white supremacists buying its pizzas after a neo-Nazi website endorsed the company.
“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,” Peter Collins, the company’s senior director of public relations, told The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky.
Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter said last week that ongoing player protests during the national anthem before NFL games had hurt sales. Papa John’s is the official pizza of the NFL.
{mosads}Schnatter’s comments prompted neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer to declare Papa John’s the official pizza of the alt-right, an endorsement the pizza company rejected.
NFL players have protested social justice issues, such as police brutality, since the 2016 season, either kneeling or raising a fist during the national anthem. The issue was brought back into the spotlight in September, when President Trump suggested those taking a knee should be fired.
Scattered protests continued during NFL games on Sunday, with at least eight players protesting during the national anthem.