Ex-Papa John's CEO John Schnatter Says Jerry Jones, Dan Snyder Asked Him To Get Roger Goodell Fired

It's very seldom you see bitter rivals such as the Cowboys and Commanders teaming up, but in 2017, that's exactly what Dallas owner Jerry Jones and Washington owner Dan Snyder did.

It involved two of the most unlikeliest figures: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and former Papa John's CEO John Schnatter. Schnatter recently told Sportscaster that Jones and Snyder both reached out to him in an attempt to get him to take out Goodell as commissioner.

“They called me and said, ‘You need to take this guy out,’” Schnatter said, via the New York Post. “‘You’re the No. 1 sponsor of the league, as far as notoriety and acceptance and association. Everybody loves you, they love Peyton . We hate Goodell.’”

As Schnatter recalls, he told Jones and Snyder no and said "This is not my job to fire your commissioner. He works for you.”

Before his resignation as Papa John's CEO, Schnatter had been critical of Goodell, blaming his pizza company's falling stock as a result of the NFL's National Anthem protests. Ratings were down and some assumed the kneeling spearheaded by Colin Kaepernick was the cause.

"NFL leadership has hurt Papa John’s shareholders,” Schnatter said at the time.

Jones and Snyder's plan ultimately didn't come to fruition, as Goodell received a lucrative extension to remain NFL commissioner in 2017.


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