'They lied. I fired Goodell': Papa John Schnatter says he ended ties with the NFL, contradicting reports of a mutual split

'They lied. I fired Goodell': Papa John Schnatter says he ended ties with the NFL, contradicting reports of a mutual split



John Schnatter, founder of the world famous Papa John's pizza chain, said that he ended ties with the NFL, despite the media narrative being that the two entities had a mutual ending to their major partnership.

Papa John's and the NFL were partners since 2010; in late 2017, Schnatter voiced his opinion that the NFL's lack of action over players kneeling during the national anthem had hurt the brand.

"The NFL has hurt us," Schnatter said at the time. "We are disappointed the NFL and its leadership did not resolve this."

"Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership," he added.

The pizza chain pulled ads and removed the NFL shield from its pizza boxes, ESPN reported. However, in early 2018, it was announced that the two entities had come to a "mutual decision" about ending their sponsorship deals.

Schnatter says that wasn't actually the case.

"A man that gets himself in trouble but has principles, will get himself out of trouble pretty quickly. A man that's having success but doesn't have principles, values, once he gets himself in trouble there's no ... I don't see a lot of integrity, dignity, mutual respect out of the NFL," he said on "Fearless."

"That whole model, sooner or later, will fall apart. But it sure doesn't look like from a financial perspective that's going to be anytime soon. I got away from the NFL, they lied."

"I fired Goodell, I got rid of them," Schnatter said of the NFL commissioner.

"That's on the record, but the media spins that. The NFL was playing dirty. Roger Goodell is a dirty guy. He's a coward. I don't want to be associated with it. I don't care how powerful they are, I don't want to be in business with the NFL. That was my call not their call," Schnatter claimed.

"I fired Goodell. I got rid of them. That's on the record. The NFL was playing dirty. Roger Goodell is a dirty guy. He's a coward. I don't want to be associated with it. I don't care how powerful they are, I don't want to be in business with the NFL." -- Papa John Schnatter
— (@)

The NFL has not responded to questions about Schnatter's claims, nor has the company released any press statements about the issue.

"The NFL, Goodell especially, did not handle the situation right. The controversy was hurting our sales and hurting the small business owners, our franchisees," Schnatter explained, noting that he didn't give a position on the kneeling specifically.

Schnatter added that the mishandling of the situation by his senior management, board of directors, and "malpractice" by a public relations team were the first signs of trouble.

"I was very adamant that this is going to happen again, I'm going to get attacked again, and if we don't have that PR front covered, then the company and me are going to take a pretty good loss, a pretty good hit, and that fell on deaf ears," he said.

The former Papa John's CEO said the writing was on the wall for the company, which has dropped an estimated 30% in stock value in 2024, Schnatter said.

"I've been telling you for seven years [about] their behavior, lack of ethics, lack of principles, lack of loving people, lack of mutual respect, lack of win-win, lack of quality, lack of service, lack of cleanliness," he told host Jason Whitlock.

"Sooner or later, if you don't tend to the shop and run business with integrity and good customer experience, it's going to catch up. A day before I come on your show, it finally has crashed, I mean, they've been rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic now for six years, and the Titanic is finally sinking."

Shares in Papa John's have dropped about $20 from February to May 2024.

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KFC to roll out 'Chizza' in the US



For the first time in the U.S., KFC is poised to roll out a combination fried chicken and pizza dish, appropriately dubbed the "Chizza."

Instead of a dough crust like traditional pizza, the Chizza features a base layer of fried chicken topped with sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. "It's not pizza, it's Chizza: two 100% white meat Extra Crispy™ fried chicken filets topped with zesty marinara sauce, melty mozzarella cheese and crispy pepperoni," a press release explained.

The concoction will be available for a limited time in the U.S., beginning on February 26, but people will be able to try it even sooner, and at no cost, in New York City.

"To celebrate its stateside debut, KFC will transform its restaurant at 242 E 14th St. in New York City – the pizza capital of the U.S. – into a one-of-a-kind "Chizzeria" pop-up where customers will get to try Chizza before anyone else for free," the press release noted. "The KFC Chizzeria offers one menu item only, hot & fresh Chizza, in a KFC-ified, modern take on a classic pizzeria. The world's first Chizzeria (probably) opens its doors for a limited time, Friday, Feb. 23-Feb. 24 (1-9 p.m. ET), but don't worry, Chizza is available to the rest of the country starting Monday, Feb. 26."

"Chizza first debuted on KFC menus in the Philippines in 2015 and since then the KFC exclusive has made its way around the world to Korea, Taiwan, India, Thailand, Germany, Spain and Mexico, among other countries. Now, you can experience the global phenomenon here in the U.S. for the very first time," the press release stated.

— (@)

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‘They Just Want To Control’: Ron DeSantis Blasts NYC’s Proposed Coal-Fired Oven Ban

'They just don’t want people to be happy'

EXCLUSIVE: DeSantis Campaign To Drop ‘Biden… One Term Everybody Knows The Rules’ Merchandise After NYC Pizza Stop

The campaign plans on launching the release of the new shirts

New York artist throws pizza at N.Y. city hall building: 'Give us pizza or give us death!'



Few things in life are perfect — except for maybe pizza.

But New York’s Department of Environmental Protection obviously disagrees with that sentiment, considering it's required restaurants that use wood or coal fired ovens to cut emissions by 75%.

In other words, say goodbye to New York’s iconic wood-fired pizzerias.

Pizza lovers across the country are upset, to say the least.

Leading the charge of objectors is New York artist Scott LoBaido who exercised his right to protest in a most amusing way.

Dave Rubin plays a clip of LoBaido hurling slices of pizza at New York’s City Hall building while he chants, “Give us pizza or give us death!”

But that’s not all LoBaido is upset about.

He also uses the opportunity to call out the public indecency at recent Pride parades and the invasion of illegal immigrants, who LoBaido says are “being treated way better than our homeless veterans, our teachers, and first responders.”

He’s also bitter that New York has “the most violent, raging crime rate ever.”

@ItzGot2go, a YouTube commenter, responded to the video with the following statement: “Don't ya love how quickly the cops show up for pizza toss in their yard, but nowhere to be found when you're assaulted on the subway?”

Yikes.

Looks like the bitterness runs deep.

“People have had it,” Rubin says, “They’ve just had it.”


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‘This Ban Has To Go!’: Jesse Watters, ‘Pizza-Slinger’ Protester Roast Eric Adams Over Oven Ban

'It is not the pizza, it is not my SUV'

'Give us pizza or give us death': Man goes viral for protest against NYC's new climate rules targeting pizza shops



A New York City man went viral on Monday for throwing pizza slices at city hall to protest newly proposed carbon-emissions standards that target Big Apple pizzerias.

What is the background?

The NYC Department of Environmental Protection drafted new rules to regulate coal and wood-fired ovens installed in restaurants prior to May 2016. The rules would require restaurants with such ovens to install emission-control systems that cost tens of thousands of dollars to install and maintain.

The devices will allegedly cut carbon emissions by 75%.

NYC DEP spokesperson Ted Timbers claimed:

All New Yorkers deserve to breathe healthy air and wood and coal-fired stoves are among the largest contributors of harmful pollutants in neighborhoods with poor air quality. This common-sense rule, developed with restaurant and environmental justice groups, requires a professional review of whether installing emission controls is feasible.

What happened on Monday?

In a video posted to Twitter, artist Scott LoBaido carried five boxes of pizza to city hall and proceeded to condemn the city for prioritizing progressive and woke issues to the detriment of education and public safety.

"The woke-ass idiots who run this city are doing everything in their power to destroy it. We have naked men with their titties bouncing around all over the city yesterday, in public, in front of children," LoBaido said.

"We have the most violent, raging crime rate ever. We are being in invaded by illegal immigrants who are being treated way better than our homeless veterans. Our teachers and first responder heroes who were fired— still not compensated because they didn’t take the Fauci injection," LoBaido continued.

"Our city schools produce the dumbest kids and the woke-ass punks who run New York City are afraid of pizza. The world used to respect New Yorkers as tough, thick-skinned, and gritty. Now we have become pussified. It's a damn shame," LoBaido declared. "You heard of the Boston Tea Party. This is the New York Pizza Party. Give us pizza or give us death."

In true "Breaking Bad"-style, LoBaido then threw the pizza slice-by-slice onto the city hall property.

"Give us pizza or give us death," he shouted.

At the end of the video, two New York City Police officers approached LoBaido. It's not clear what happened during their interaction, but LoBaido was not arrested.

— (@)

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New Yorkers Push Back on Tyranny with ... Pizza! | Guest: Hilary Kennedy | 6/27/23

New Yorkers Push Back on Tyranny with ... Pizza! | Guest: Hilary Kennedy | 6/27/23

LAPD's bust of pizza joint 'super lab' cooking up THC honey oil delivers 'Breaking Bad' vibes



Authorities shut down a drug lab disguised as a pizza kitchen in North Hollywood Thursday, KABC reported.

"We've heard of secret ingredients, but this one takes the pie!" the Los Angeles Police Department quipped Saturday in an Instagram post.

The facility used to cook up the sketchy substances is a warehouse in the 7300 block of Radford Avenue, KABC reported. The bust was part of a narcotics investigation.

"Let's just say [it's] not pizza," Lillian Carranza, the LAPD's commanding officer of the Gang and Narcotics Division, tweeted.

Two people were arrested and jailed without bail, KABC also reported. Their identities were not immediately released.

The similarities to AMC's "Breaking Bad" were not lost on denizens of social media, who joked in particular about the below photo reminiscent of the popular series that ran between 2008-2013.

"No deliveries from this 'pizza' lab anymore!" the LAPD tweeted, alongside the photo.

"Your lab squad working to dismantle and render an illicit Super Lab safe," Officer Carranza also said, adding that the lab was operating in a business area next to a pet hospital.

Photos from inside the "super lab" showed some elements that do appear pizza-like, such as stacked cooling racks, ovens, and even cardboard pizza boxes labeled "hot and fresh pizza to go."

Carranza explained in a series of tweets in the same thread that the facility was a THC honey oil extraction lab. She added that those are the sorts of labs "we see explode, cause injuries, property damage, and sometimes death."

Marijuana concentrates, or THC concentrates, are highly potent, GetSmartAboutDrugs.gov explains. One popular extraction method using the highly flammable solvent butane is particularly dangerous. The substance is sometimes called 710, to mimic the word "oil" spelled backwards. Other street names include "honey oil," "budder," "shatter," and "dabs."

"We work all cases from fentanyl trafficking to these illicit labs. They are ticking time bombs," Carranza also tweeted.

Carranza challenged one individual's criticism of the bust as going for "small fish" by saying there was "nothing small about this seizure."

TheBlaze reached out to the LAPD for further comment but did not hear back in time for publication.

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New York City turns up the heat on wood and coal-fired pizzerias, demands restaurants slice emissions by 75%



New York City pizza is the latest thing the government is going after in the name of climate change. New York City will reportedly turn up the heat on pizzerias with wood and coal-fired ovens to attempt to cut down on pollution.

The New York Post reported on Sunday that the New York City Department of Environmental Protection has drafted new rules to force restaurants with wood and coal-fired ovens to cut their emissions.

The new rule could require pizzerias with wood and coal-fired ovens installed before May 2016 to purchase and install emission-control devices. The restaurants would reportedly need to rise to the challenge by hiring an engineer or architect to evaluate the potential of integrating emission control mechanisms with the goal of reducing particulate emissions by 75%.

If the report determines that it is impossible to achieve a reduction of 75% or more, or install any emission controls, it must identify any possible emission controls that could offer at least a 25% reduction, or provide an explanation as to why such controls cannot be installed.

The restaurant will purportedly be allowed to apply for a variance or waiver, but will be required to provide evidence demonstrating the hardship this mandate causes.

Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Ted Timbers said in a statement Sunday, "All New Yorkers deserve to breathe healthy air, and wood and coal-fired stoves are among the largest contributors of harmful pollutants in neighborhoods with poor air quality. This common-sense rule, developed with restaurant and environmental justice groups, requires a professional review of whether installing emission controls is feasible."

A city official told the Post that under 100 restaurants would be affected by the new rules.

The new rules will likely affect some of the oldest and most iconic pizzerias in New York City, including Totonno's, Grimaldi's, Lombardi's, Patsy's, Paulie Gee’s, and John's of Bleecker Street.

An anonymous pizza restaurant owner with a coal-fired oven told the New York Post, "This is an unfunded mandate and it’s going to cost us a fortune, not to mention ruining the taste of the pizza – totally destroying the product."

"If you f*** around with the temperature in the oven you change the taste," the owner lashed out. "That pipe, that chimney, it’s that size to create the perfect updraft, keeps the temp perfect, it’s an art as much as a science. You take away the char, the thing that makes the pizza taste great, you kill it."

The restaurateur said, "And for what? You really think that you’re changing the environment with these eight or nine pizza ovens?!"

Paul Giannoni, the owner of Paulie Gee’s in Greenpoint, has already installed a $20,000 air filtration system in preparation for the rule change.

Giannoni stated, "Oh yeah, it’s a big expense! It's not just the expense of having it installed, it's the maintenance. I got to pay somebody to do it, to go up there every couple of weeks and hose it down, and you know, do the maintenance."

Giannoni noted that his neighbors appreciate that the oven is emitting less smoke. He added that the scrubber did not change the taste of the pizza.

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