We May Finally Be Nearing The End Of The Papa John's Saga

We suppose the first question is ask why we're so fascinated by the Papa John's saga. It seemed a story better suited for a Bloomberg or CNBC, about corporate in-fighting and power position-jockeying, and not for a site that poses the question of whether fried chicken-infused vodka was a smart idea.

But when we first wrote about Papa John's 14 months and 31 stories ago, little did we know those stories would invoke racial slurs, truther websites, evictions, accusations of extortion, non-disclosure agreements, and in a Keyser Soze-level twist, Shaquille O'Neal.

We at The Takeout believe there's a 50/50 chance that this post may be the last you'll read about the Papa John's saga—or, at the least, founder John Schnatter—in a while. Maybe.

The latest update, courtesy of CNBC, is this: Schnatter, who was reported in March to have left the company board, is now exploring options to sell off his 31% share in the company. Papa John's has a market value of $1.7 billion, so you do the math. As Schnatter already has no formal role with the company, news of his potential sell-off may signal a clean break, and thus, a bow on top of As The Papa Turns.