Papa John's founder and former CEO John Schnatter resigned as chairman of the pizza chain's board last night following reports he used the N-word in a conference call this May. Schnatter stepped down as CEO last December following a controversy surrounding comments he made about NFL protests.
In a statement, John said this: "News reports attributing the use of inappropriate and hurtful language to me during a media training session regarding race are true. Regardless of the context, I apologize. Simply stated, racism has no place in our society.”
While on a call with a marketing agency, John defended his comments about the NFL, saying KFC didn't face backlash when "Colonel Sanders called blacks n-----s," Forbes reported. He also spoke about his childhood in Indiana and said, there, people used to drag African-Americans from trucks until they died. Following the phone call, the agency ended its relationship with Papa John's.
Last year, John blamed poor pizza sales on football players kneeling during the National Anthem to protest police brutality and racism in America. At the time, Papa John's was the official pizza sponsor of the NFL. It has since switched over to Pizza Hut.
In a press release late Wednesday night, Papa John's announced John's resignation, and said a new Chairman of the Board will be appointed in the coming weeks. While he's no longer on the board, John still owns a substantial portion — roughly 30 percent — of the company, CBS points out.
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