The Papa John’s founder, John Schnatter, who resigned from his role as chairman last week after using the N-word, has now reportedly said it was a mistake to leave the company.
In a letter to board members, Schnatter gave more details about the conference call in May that led to his stepping down – and highlighted his feelings about Kanye West, CNBC reported.
Schnatter had previously apologized for his use of the racial slur but protested that it had been part of a media training exercise organized by the pizza chain’s marketing agency, Laundry Service.
Schnatter resigned at the behest of the Papa John’s board last Wednesday, after a Forbes article revealed he used the N-word on that call.
In an interview on Friday with a local Kentucky TV station, Schnatter said that Laundry Service had “kind of provoked” him a little bit to use that word in a confidential PR strategy session.
In the letter sent to Papa John’s directors on Saturday, according to CNBC, the former chairman also mentioned Kanye West, saying the media agency suggested he partner with the musician on TV ads and promotions. According to the letter, Schnatter refused to work with West because “he uses the N-word in his lyrics”.
Schnatter’s use of the N-word came in a later, separate part of the call, CNBC said.
In the letter, he insisted he would never use the N-word as a racial epithet.
“The board asked me to step down as chairman without apparently doing any investigation. I agreed, though today I believe it was a mistake to do so,” Schnatter wrote in the letter obtained by CNBC.
This is not the first time Schnatter has found himself in a publicity storm of his own making. Last November, he blamed faltering sales at the pizza chain, which was an official NFL sponsor, on NFL players peacefully protesting against racial injustice in the US. This led some white supremacists to embrace the Kentucky-based chain. The Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi website, captioned a photo of a pizza with pepperoni swastikas: “Papa John: Official pizza of the alt-right?”
Papa John’s stock has fallen more than 33% in the past 12 months as it struggles to compete with its larger rivals Pizza Hut and Domino’s. However, the announcement of Schnatter’s resignation gave the company share price an 11% bump and there are now rumors it could be bought by a larger restaurant conglomerate. Papa John’s is currently in the process of removing Schnatter from its advertisements and marketing material.
