Papa John’s Founder Admits He Dropped the N-Bomb. Update: Racist John now says he shouldn’t have quit

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/11/business/papa-johns-racial-slur.html

Papa John’s Founder John Schnatter Apologizes for Racial Slur

John Schnatter, the founder of Papa John’s Pizza, apologized on Wednesday for using a racial slur in a comment about black people during a conference call in May, describing his comments as “inappropriate and hurtful” in a statement provided by the company.

The apology was prompted by a report in Forbes that described the call, which was with the Laundry Service marketing agency.

“Regardless of the context, I apologize,” he said in his statement confirming the report. “Simply stated, racism has no place in our society.”

Schnatter also resigned from the board of trustees for the University of Louisville, according to the school. He declined through the company to comment further.

Mr. Schnatter set off an uproar in November by blaming the National Football League — with which Papa John’s had a sponsorship deal — for a slump in sales during a conference call with investors. He complained about the league’s handling of football players who protested racism and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem.

The comments were praised by white supremacists, and Papa John’s responded by saying it did not want white supremacists or their groups buying its pizzas. Mr. Schnatter, who owns 30 percent of Papa John’s stock, stepped down as chief executive in December.

Forbes reported that the call in May was intended to help Mr. Schnatter avoid future public relations blunders involving race.

Shares of Papa John’s fell nearly 5 percent on Wednesday, after the Forbes report, bringing the stock’s decline since November to about 30 percent.

Casey Wasserman, the chief executive of Wasserman, the talent management company that owns Laundry Service, declined to comment.
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I stop eating Papa John's around 99'. My sister used to work there in high school & she brought pizza home so much that the whole household got tired of it
 
http://www.espn.com/college-sports/...n-schnatter-resigns-louisville-board-trustees

Papa John's founder John Schnatter resigns as Louisville trustee

John Schnatter, a prominent University of Louisville booster who founded the Papa John's pizza chain, submitted his resignation to the school's board of trustees Wednesday after a story came to light about his use of the N-word during an internal conference call.

Louisville board of trustees chairman J. David Grissom said in a statement that Schnatter resigned, though Grissom said he believed "his comments, while inappropriate, do not reflect his personal beliefs or values."

Forbes first reported Wednesday that Schnatter participated in a conference call in May with Papa John's executives and marketing agency Laundry Service. It was meant to prepare him for an interview to try to repair his public image. Schnatter had left his position as CEO of Papa John's, which was an official sponsor of the NFL, in December after saying that NFL players should stand for the national anthem, and that the controversy around the issue had hurt the company's sales. Two months later, Papa John's prematurely ended its deal with the league, and the NFL quickly sold the deal to Pizza Hut, a Papa John's competitor.

During the conference call, Schnatter was asked how he would distance himself from racist groups online. In his response, Forbes reported that he questioned why he was facing the wrath of society for taking a stance that all NFL players should stand for the anthem, and he downplayed the significance of those comments. It was then that he claimed Colonel Sanders, who founded Kentucky Fried Chicken, used the N-word in the past and did not face public backlash.

Schnatter said the actual word on the call, ESPN confirmed.

It's not clear that Sanders ever used racist language. In Josh Ozersky's biography of Sanders, "Colonel Sanders and the American Dream," he wrote that while Sanders referred to African-Americans as "Negros," the author said he "seems to have been utterly without racial prejudice."

After Forbes' story ran, Schnatter, through Papa John's, issued a statement confirming he used the slur. "Simply stated, racism has no place in our society," the statement read.

Recently, Schnatter had questioned the leadership of Louisville's athletic department and the integrity of former basketball coach Rick Pitino. The criticism had left his relationship with the school frayed.

Schnatter remains prominently linked to the school through Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. In a complicated arrangement, the school's deal is with Schnatter himself, not the Papa John's brand, and provides that if he leaves the company, Schnatter can rename the building. His current deal with the university runs through 2040.
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GOAT said:
He didnt even use it in a way to be offensive tho. He was referencing a historical point.

Headline makes it seem like he was out there just callin black ppl niggers
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So his ass shoulda just said "the n word" like most non racist white ppl use or not even say nothing bout the n word he coulda made his point 100 diffirent ways and his ass wouldnt be going thru this shit, get the fuck outta here
 
Based on what I read, I'm not really sure why people are making a big deal out of him saying the N-word. His statement was that "Colonel Sanders called black people n******." That's not that big a deal. Him using that logic to justify his actions is bad. What I think was bad was him just randomly talking about CaCs dragging black people from trucks. He didn't seem to have much of a point outside wanting to point out that CaCs from his area liked brutalizing black people.
 
The Lonious Monk said:
Based on what I read, I'm not really sure why people are making a big deal out of him saying the N-word. His statement was that "Colonel Sanders called black people n******." That's not that big a deal. Him using that logic to justify his actions is bad. What I think was bad was him just randomly talking about CaCs dragging black people from trucks. He didn't seem to have much of a point outside wanting to point out that CaCs from his area liked brutalizing black people.
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Yeah, but that's the "subtle" trying-to-cleverly-get-the-nigger-out-of-my-system trope though. You've probably seen it in your lifetime: you'll be talking to someone white about a non-race issue and out of nowhere they bring an analogy or anecdote up that involves someone else using "nigger" or some racist language. Then you're standing there like, "Yeah, Bobby, great story. I know Sinatra probably said "nigger" on several occasions, but we're trying to see what we're ordering from Buffalo Wild Wings tonight."
 
KNiGHTS said:
Yeah, but that's the "subtle" trying-to-cleverly-get-the-nigger-out-of-my-system trope though. You've probably seen it in your lifetime: you'll be talking to someone white about a non-race issue and out of nowhere they bring an analogy or anecdote up that involves someone else using "nigger" or some racist language. Then you're standing there like, "Yeah, Bobby, great story. I know Sinatra probably said "nigger" on several occasions, but we're trying to see what we're ordering from Buffalo Wild Wings tonight."
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lol I wouldn't put that past him. Still the random reference to blacks being brutalized is worse IMO.
 
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/papa-john-founder-resigns-over-racial-slur

Better Chairman. Better Company. Papa John’s: Founder Resigns Over Racial Slur

NEW YORK (AP) — Papa John’s says founder John Schnatter has resigned as chairman of the board.

The company made the announcement late Wednesday, hours after Schnatter apologized for using a racial slur during a conference call in May.

The apology comes after Forbes cited an anonymous source saying the pizza chain’s marketing firm broke ties with the company afterward.

Forbes said Schnatter used the N-word during a media training exercise. When asked how he would distance himself from racist groups, Schnatter reportedly complained that Colonel Sanders never faced a backlash for using the word.

In a statement released by Louisville, Kentucky-based Papa John’s, Schnatter said reports attributing use of “inappropriate and hurtful” language to him were true.

Schnatter stepped down as CEO last year after blaming slowing sales growth on the outcry surrounding football players kneeling during the national anthem.
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