In America these days, it’s become almost impossible for folks to speak their minds freely, at least, if what you say isn’t in line with the liberal narrative. The poison of political correctness has already infiltrated the US, and severely damaging our ability to have the discussions necessary to keep the nation from splitting apart.
Every week, another person experiences this sad reality for themselves, as they say or think the wrong thing and wind up being vilified and/or seeing their careers take a hit. the latest person to suffer for completely innocuous and accurate comments is the CEO of the pizza chain Papa John’s.
As reported at the Daily Mail, Papa John’s founder John Schnatter had the audacity to criticize the NFL’s handling of the anthem protest controversy several months ago, and now he’s paying for it with his job. Effective January 1, 2018, Schnatter will step down as CEO of the company he founded.
Schnatter’s face and catchphrase is inexorably linked with the company, as he appears in all the commercials, ending every single one with the infamous “Better pizza. Better ingredients. Papa John’s.” His face is also plastered on every pizza box. While Schnatter may be being forced out as CEO, he’s still the company’s largest shareholder, so he’ll still stay on as chairman of the board.
The reason for him leaving stems from his comments blaming the NFL for Papa John’s suffering slower sales growth. The company is a major advertiser for the league, and with the declining attendance and ratings this season, largely due to the anthem protests and rampant politicization of the sport, Schnatter unsurprisingly pointed the finger at the NFL’s poor leadership.
“The controversy is polarizing the customer, polarizing the country,” Schnatter said during a conference call about the company’s earnings on November 1. When the contents of the call were leaked to the media, the company quickly came out and apologized for the comments made by their CEO.
The company has refused to say if Schnatter’s NFL comments played a role in his departure, saying only that it’s “the right time to make this change.”
Shares of Papa John’s are down about 13 percent since the day before the NFL comments were made, reducing the value of Schnatter’s stake in the company by nearly $84 million.
Source: Daily Mail