According to a report by Forbes, Papa John’s founder, John Schnatter, used the N-word on a conference call back in May. The call was with Papa John executives and a marketing agency, who was attempting to help him avoid public relations disasters.
Via Forbes:
John Schnatter—the founder, chairman and public face of pizza chain Papa John’s—used the N-word on a conference call in May, a source with knowledge of the event told Forbes.
The call was arranged between Papa John’s executives and marketing agency Laundry Service. It was designed as a role-playing exercise for Schnatter in an effort to prevent future public-relations snafus. Schnatter caused an uproar in November 2017 when he waded into the debate over national anthem protests in the NFL and partly blamed the league for slowing sales at Papa John’s.
On the May call, Schnatter was asked how he would distance himself from racist groups online. He responded by downplaying the significance of his NFL statement. “Colonel Sanders called blacks n—–s,” Schnatter allegedly said, before complaining that Sanders never faced public backlash.
No wonder Papa John was removed as the face of the company. It turns out he isn’t great for public relations and his National Anthem protest comments was just the tip of the iceberg.
