The "news reports attributing the use of inappropriate and hurtful language to me during a media training session regarding race are true," Papa John's founder and chairman John Schnatter said in a statement Wednesday, effectively confirming a Forbes report that he used the N-word in a conference call with the firm he'd hired to resuscitate his image. "Regardless of the context, I apologize. Simply stated, racism has no place in our society." On Wednesday night, Papa John's said the board of directors had accepted Schnatter's resignation as chairman and would replace him "in the coming weeks."
Schnatter, the public face of Papa John's, reportedly complained on the call with marketing company Laundry Service about his forced resignation as chief executive last year after saying the NFL's handling of anthem-kneeling players had hurt Papa John's bottom line. KFC founder "Colonel Sanders called blacks n-----s" and never faced any consequences, he said, according to Forbes. Schnatter, 54, also resigned from the University of Louisville board of trustees. He is still the largest shareholder in the pizza company he founded in 1984, controlling 29 percent of its stocks. Papa John's shares closed down 4.8 percent on Wednesday.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraudSpeed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
-
Boeing machinists approve contract, end strikeSpeed Read The company's largest union approved the new contract offer, ending a seven-week strike
-
US economy still strong in final preelection reportSpeed Read It grew at a solid 2.8% annual rate from July through September
-
Boeing machinists reject deal, continue strikeSpeed Read The rejection came the same day Boeing reported a $6.2 billion quarterly loss
-
Ports reopen after dockworkers halt strikeSpeed Read The 36 ports that closed this week, from Maine to Texas, will start reopening today
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homesSpeed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bidSpeed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
