Six MLB teams have suspended relationships with Papa John's since the admission of founder John Schnatter's use of the N-word on a conference call. Other teams have stated that they are keeping their relationship with the brand, disavowing Schnatter's comments but citing long-standing relationships with local owners whose values they share. It's the second time in just the past few months that comments from Schnatter have cost the brand relationships with big partners in the sporting world. Six MLB teams have now suspended relationships with Papa John's in the wake of founder John Schnatter's admission of using the N-word during a conference call. While Schnatter has since resigned from his role with the pizza chain, the company is still dealing with the fallout of the controversy, and has now lost promotional deals with teams across baseball — the Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners, and Baltimore Orioles have all either paused or cancelled relationships they had with the brand. According to the Washington Post, the Nationals were the latest team to do so, releasing a statement on Friday saying they "do not condone discrimination of any kind," and have suspended their partnership with the pizza chain, adding that the team "remain[s] supportive of our local operators who have been fantastic partners for more than eleven years." The Miami Marlins announced a similar plan on Thursday, with the Miami Herald reporting that the team was closing the Papa John's concession stand at its stadium as well as suspending a promotional deal with the brand, which gave customers 50% off pizza the day after the Marlins scored five or more runs. The Rays and Royals halted similar promotions as well. While many have put their relationships with the brand on hold, there were a few teams across the league that decided to maintain their deals with Papa John's, disavowing Schnatter's comments and praising the brand for its swift action, while cited long-running partnerships with local store owners and operators who shared their values. "We are glad that at a national level, Papa John’s took swift action to deal with the issue," said the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to ABC15. "From our team standpoint, our partnership is with local owner/operators in Phoenix and completely separate from the national company. That promotion will continue." The Houston Astros didn't announce any direct plans to continue or suspend its relationship with Papa John's, but gave a similar statement, expressing that the team was "incredibly disappointed with the statements made by Papa John’s founder John Schnatter," while also saying that they feel "confident that the local franchisees and their employees share the Astros’ commitment to diversity and inclusiveness." While Papa John's was once ubiquitous with the sports world, it's partnerships have fallen off over the past few months due to Schnatter's actions. The brand had formally been the official pizza of the NFL but came to a "mutual decision" to end that relationship after Schnatter blamed slowed sales on player protests. With its latest controversy, Papa John's relationships with professional sports have diminished even further.<doc-sep>NEW A vastly improved search engine helps you find the latest on companies, business leaders, and news more easily.<doc-sep>On the call, Schnatter reportedly claimed that “Colonel Sanders called blacks n—–s” but didn’t face the same backlash that he had. Later, ostensibly to display his opposition to racism, Schnatter talked about how black people had been dragged behind trucks to their deaths when he was growing up in Indiana. The marketing agency proceeded to drop Papa John’s as a client, even at significant financial cost, according to Forbes. After the comments were published, Schnatter resigned as the chairman of the board of his company.<doc-sep>
Major League Baseball suspended its Papa John’s promotion until after the All-Star break after the CEO John Schnatter resigned over his use of the N-word during a conference call in May. The MLB “Papa Slam” promotion gave fans a discount when players hit grand slams. The program was suspended after Schnatter stepped down as CEO Wednesday night after admitting that he made the racial slur, according to Fox News Friday. During the call, he reportedly stated that “Colonel Sanders called blacks n——.” “News reports attributing the use of inappropriate and hurtful language to me during a media training session regarding race are true,” the CEO said in a statement. “Regardless of the context, I apologize. Simply stated, racism has no place in our society.” On Friday, teams like the Washington Nationals joined with other MLB teams like the Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles in distancing themselves from the pizza company and suspending promotional deals, stating that they “do not condone discrimination of any kind.” The New York Yankees released a statement that read, “In response to the reprehensible remarks made by Papa John’s founder and owner, the New York Yankees are suspending their relationship with the company.” Statement from the New York Yankees regarding Papa John’s: “In response to the reprehensible remarks made by Papa John’s founder and owner, the New York Yankees are suspending their relationship with the company.” — New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 13, 2018 Miami Marlins also announced they were cutting ties with the pizza franchise. “Mr. Schnatter’s derogatory and insensitive comments are not at all reflective of the values of our organization, ” a statement from the Marlins read. In December, Schnatter originally stepped down as CEO over comments he made about how the NFL’s handling of the national anthem protests were the reason for the slump in pizza sales during the third-quarter.