Morehouse College Bans Papa John’s From Campus Amid N-Word Controversy
Papa John’s Pizza is no longer welcome on Morehouse College campus following the former CEO’s series of racist acts. The college administration issued the campus-wide suspension after recent reports claimed John Schnatter used the N-word during a conference call.
The HBCU issued a statement via its official Twitter account on Friday (July 13). “Due to a recent racial slur made by Papa John’s founder John Schnatter, Morehouse is immediately suspending its campus dining relationship with Papa John’s,” the statement reads. “The college is exploring all options for removal of the franchise from campus in light of the highly offensive behavior.”
Due to a recent racial slur made by Papa John’s founder John Schnatter, @Morehouse is immediately suspending its campus dining relationship with Papa John's. The College is exploring all options for removal of the franchise from campus in light of this highly offensive behavior.
— Morehouse College (@Morehouse) July 14, 2018
As previously noted, the new wave of outrage stems from Schnatter’s use of the N-word during a conference call between Papa John’s executives and the marketing agency Laundry Service that occurred in May 2018. Interestingly enough, Schnatter was reportedly doing a role-play exercise in an effort to prevent other PR issues – like his statements about the NFL national anthem protest – from happening again. He reportedly used the racial slur in response to a question about how he would avoid white supremacist groups online, Forbes reports. Schnatter later claimed he was “pressured” to use the word during an interview with Lousiville radio station, WHAS.
Morehouse College isn’t the only university or organization taking action against the pizza franchise. At least 12 teams within the Major League Baseball including the New York Yankees and Mets have reportedly discontinued its promotion and sponsorship of Papa John’s. The University of Louisville also said it would remove the company’s name from its football stadium, The Washington Post reports.
As the company continues to do damage control, it has vowed to remove Schnatter image from all promotion and advertisement, CEO Steve Ritchie said.
READ MORE: Papa John’s Apologizes For Making “Divisive” Comments
This post Morehouse College Bans Papa John’s From Campus Amid N-Word Controversy first appeared on Vibe.
