In a recent sit-down with Sports Illustrated‘s Peter King, Peyton Manning more or less admitted that Colorado’s decision to legalize marijuana has been a huge boon for his pizza stores.
Weeks before the state passed a legalization amendment in 2012, the Broncos quarterback began snapping up Papa John’s franchises in the Denver area. The move prompted even the most casual observer to deduce that Peyton, a wily old fox, had bought the stores to capitalize on the impending munchies boom that would sweep the state.
And those observers would appear to be right, if we read between the lines Manning is dishing out.
Answering a question concerning whether he votes for public officials (he does), Manning told King that he likes to educate himself on the people and issues of the day—namely, he like to stay informed on local politicians and the potentially profitable laws they pass.
“You try to know who you’re voting for…I’ve gotten to know some of the folks here in Colorado. There’s some different laws out here in Colorado. Pizza business is pretty good out here, believe it or not, due to some recent law changes. So when you come to a different place, you’ve kind of got to learn everything that comes with it.”
So, is Manning pro-‘Dro? Certainly he’d never personally conspire with the devil’s cabbage, but judging by the soaring sales his stores have experienced, he’s probably not against it.
After all, as TMZ noted in 2013, the 21 Papa John’s stores owned by Manning raked in record sales in the post-legalization period, registering a 25 percent profit increase at one location.
So while we all half-joked about Manning purposefully buying 21 pizza restaurants in a legalization hotbed, well, it appears Manning was doing just that. Occam’s razor wins again.
Peyton’s purchase was what we thought it was, and now he’s reaping the profits of sticky seeds sown.
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(Peyton Manning Admits Legalization of Marijuana Helped Pizza Sales)