By Milado
Could Shaq make Papa John’s a slam dunk again?
Shaquille O’Neal announced Friday that he will be the company’s first African-American board member. The fifth-highest-scoring player in NBA history also was recruited as the official face — or “ambassador” — of the struggling pizza giant.
“I have truly enjoyed the high-quality Papa John’s product for years and am excited to be able to help Papa John’s raise their game to new heights,” O’Neal said. “This is a triple threat opportunity for me. I am excited to join the board and to help lead from the top, while also investing in nine stores in my home town of Atlanta and being an ambassador for the brand.
The move comes after a series of high-profile PR disasters and sex scandals sent profits plummeting. The stock, which has a market value of $1.48 billion, is down 17.2 percent over the last year, CNBC reports.
The former Los Angeles Laker and Boston Celtic will have to put his experience as a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Five Guys Burgers franchise owner into action to clean up some ugly optics, though.
Papa John’s founder John Schnatter stepped down as CEO in late 2017 after a recording of him using the N-word — during an earnings call in which he claimed NFL national anthem protests were killing pizza sales — was leaked to Forbes.
Schnatter later accused the company’s board of directors of botching its investigation of the incident — and expressed regrets about resigning.
A followup investigative report from Forbes in 2018 alleged more misconduct, accusing Schnatter of fostering a “bro” culture at Papa John’s, where women were often the target of sexual harassment. Papa himself is said to have engaged in behavior that resulted in at least two confidential settlements in 1999 and 2009, respectively.
Other pieces of the accusation pie: Forbes reported that female employees were asked their bra size and if they were menstruating, and Schnatter “loyalists” were installed in top positions to ensure he could run the company unchallenged. Anonymous sources said employees were strong-armed into signing corporate non-disparagement agreements which prohibited them from going on the record.
Schnatter, through a spokesperson, “disputed” the Forbes exposé.
Meanwhile, Papa John’s spent $5.8 million on image rehab, which included scrubbing Schnatter’s mug from its marketing materials and pizza delivery boxes.
“Shaquille has an excellent entrepreneurial background, including as a restaurant franchise owner, and is a natural creative marketer,” said Jeff Smith, chairman of Papa John’s board of directors.
