You know what it’s like.
You’ve been on a trip or something where you’re surrounded by people. Can’t get a minute to yourself. You get home. Finally some peace and quiet. You lock the door and close the curtains. Ah the relief. You go again. And again and again. But 12 hours later and your wrists turned to dust, you’re empty. You’re beat. The FIFA marathon comes to a grinding halt. It’s not the same.
Another chap to realise crushing defeat in a more public way is John Schnatter, the Papa John’s founder and former CEO, who left the company in 2018 surrounded by controversy after admitting to using the N-word in a company conference call that year.
Schnatter had stepped down as CEO in 2017 following backlash for his criticism of NFL player kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality.
Now in an interview with WDRB News, Schnatter has spoken out about his ousting from the company and alleges he was set up.
He claims the conference call that started it all was made up.
Schnatter admitted he used the N-word during an internal conference call, but did it to convey his hatred of racism and was quoting another famous founder.
He said:
This is all a farce. Nothing sells like the truth, and the truth, sooner or later, all comes out.
I just didn’t know it would happen from people on the inside doing this. I thought it would come from the outside.
After naming Steve Ritchie and Olivia Kirtley, Schnatter said, ‘the board of directors all used the black community and race as a way to steal the company.’
Schnatter handpicked Ritchie as his replacement, but after years of friendship, they are now estranged. Kirtley is a Papa John’s board member.
He directed criticism at the company’s new leadership as well as his former protege after Ritchie stepped down as CEO this year.
Schnatter said:
[New CEO Rob Lynch] has never been a CEO. He has no pizza experience. He has never been in the pizza category. He doesn’t really know quality. Probably most important, he doesn’t have a passion for people.
They’ve hurt people that wake up every day and make this company great. I mean, it’s a miserable place over there … They’re losing all of their good people. The key to this business is good people.
He added:
I’ve had over 40 pizzas in the last 30 days, and it’s not the same pizza. It’s not the same product. It just doesn’t taste as good.
The way they’re making the pizza is just not fundamental to what makes a Papa John’s pizza.
Burn.
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Tim Horner is a sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated with a BA Journalism from University College Falmouth before most his colleagues were born. A previous editor of adult mags, he now enjoys bringing the tone down in the viral news sector.