It appears that John Schnatter, the founder of the pizza chain Papa John’s, is in hot water once again in terms of making racist remarks. On Wednesday (Jul. 11), Schnatter responded to reports stating that he used the N-word during a conference call, stating that the reports are indeed true.
“News reports attributing the use of inappropriate and hurtful language to me during a media training session regarding race are true,” Schnatter said in a statement released by his company. “Regardless of the context, I apologize. Simply stated, racism has no place in our society.”
According to CNBC, in May, Schnatter was on a conference call with the marketing agency, Laundry Service. When trying to defend and downplay his earlier comments about the NFL protests, he reportedly said “Colonel Sanders called blacks ni***rs,” and never got in trouble for it.
In 2017, Schnatter apologized for making “divisive” comments about the NFL players who chose to kneel during the playing of the national anthem. As a result, he stepped down as the CEO of the company.
“Papa John’s condemns racism and any insensitive language, no matter the situation or setting,” a company spokesman told the site. “Our company was built on a foundation of mutual respect and acceptance.”