Papa John's founder John Schnatter is having a really hard time not being racist. It sounds like such a simple thing to do... just don't use derogatory or offensive terms that relate to people's ethnicity or nationality. Schnatter first found himself in trouble after commenting that the NFL players kneeling were affecting his pizza sales. How he arrived at that conclusion is anyone's guess. Soon after his comments stirred up a monsoon of controversy, he stepped down as CEO of Papa John's.
In an effort to help himself become more sensitive to racial situations, Schnatter attempted a role-playing exercise for training. When asked how he would "distance himself from racist groups," he responded, "Colonel Sanders called Blacks n***ers" and didn't face backlash. It didn't stop there, and Schnatter continued on to reference watching Black people being dragged to death by vehicles in his youth. He brought that up as an example of how anti-racist he is, which is one of the most misguided attempts at racial understanding ever. Schnatter apologized for his comments, stating, "News reports attributing the use of inappropriate and hurtful language to me during a media training session regarding race are true. Regardless of the context, I apologize. Simply stated, racism has no place in our society." Now, according to a statement by Papa John's, Schnatter has stepped down as chairman of the board. "Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA)today announced that the independent directors of the company have accepted the resignation of John H. Schnatter as Chairman of the Board," reads the article. "Olivia Kirtley acts as the company’s Lead Independent Director. Papa John’s will appoint a new Chairman of the Board in the coming weeks."