Papa John's flips the bird to neo-Nazis in fiery statement on Twitter

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• Papa John's sought to distance itself from the far-right movement after its controversial response to national anthem protests from several NFL players.
• Papa John's flipped a bird to neo-Nazis in a message on Twitter on Tuesday night, while promising to "work with players and the league to find a positive way forward."
• CEO John Schnatter complained about NFL players' national anthem demonstrations on an earnings call earlier this month, and seemed to blame a decline in Papa John's sales on the fallout from those protests.

Papa John's sought to distance itself from the political far-right movement that has associated itself with the pizza chain, following controversial remarks from CEO John Schatter, who previously railed against NFL players' national-anthem demonstrations.

"We believe in the right to protest inequality and support the players' movement to create a new platform for change," the company tweeted Tuesday. "We also believe together, as Americans, we should honor our anthem. There is a way to do both."

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During the call with investors in early November, Schnatter said that the company, which has an exclusive partnership with the NFL, was "totally disappointed" by the organization's leadership. The controversy kicked off after San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem last year, inspiring other players to engage in similar forms of protest to recognize racial inequality and police brutality.

"This should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago," Schnatter reportedly said during the November 1 call. "Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership."

Far-right groups took note of the sentiment and floated the idea that the pizza chain may have been the "official pizza of the alt right."

Papa John's statement on Twitter comes amid a sales slump for the pizza chain. Business Insider retail reporter Kate Taylor noted last week that 18 other NFL sponsors refused to say whether they were reevaluating their NFL sponsorship deals or experiencing a negative sales impact as a result of the protests among NFL players.