REUTERS/Danny Moloshok/File Photo 
 
 In a letter to franchisees on Monday and published on Schnatter’s website savepapajohns.com, Schnatter said Papa John’s human resources department had evidence of harassment and intimidation but he did not provide evidence himself. Surprising no one, Papa John’s has already released a statement, calling “the accusations ‘untrue and disparaging,’ characterizing them as ‘a self-serving attempt to distract from the damaging impact his own words and actions have had on the company and our stakeholders,’” says CNN Money. In an interview this week with CNN Money, Schnatter continued his rant, saying that he was being scapegoated for the company’s current dire financial straits: “You can’t blame everything on two comments,” referring to his statements regarding the NFL’s national anthem controversy and a racial slur he used during a marketing phone call, which resulted in Schnatter stepping down as chairman of the board. Instead, he composed a letter to his franchisees on his “truther” website, savepapajohns.com, saying that Ritchie “is out of his depth as CEO.” Schnatter also says “claims he told the company’s board in June that Ritchie ‘needed to go’ and ‘they agreed with me’” and wanted him to return to the company, says USA Today. "It's simply not true that the Board asked John Schnatter to become Executive Chairman," the committee reiterated, adding that "John Schnatter's assertion that the Board agreed with him that Steve Ritchie 'needed to go' is not true." Papa John’s said in its response that the board “at no time” had asked Schnatter to become executive chairman. “In fact, the company has taken multiple steps to separate itself from him.” 
 
 Ritchie could not immediately be reached for comment. Just this week on As The Papa John’s World Turns, you may recall that Papa John’s put out a statement thanking its many detractors for calling the chain out as racist.
– Getting Papa John out of the Papa John's kitchen has done nothing to quell the heat between the pizza chain and its former CEO. A special committee of the chain's board of directors penned a letter Wednesday accusing John Schnatter of "promoting his self-interest at the expense of all others in an attempt to regain control" of the company and making "untrue and disparaging statements," reports Reuters. The letter follows one posted by Schnatter at SavePapaJohns.com in which he said the board in June asked him to replace Steve Ritchie, who "is out of his depth as CEO." He added that Papa John's "has detailed evidence of sexual misconduct, harassment and intimidation by virtually everyone in Steve's inner circle, and relating to board members as well." Without addressing the latter claim in detail, the special committee denied it ever asked Schnatter to replace Ritchie, per CNN. "John Schnatter's assertion that the Board agreed with him that Steve Ritchie 'needed to go' is not true." The letter also claims that Schnatter repeatedly undermined Ritchie's leadership, disregarded the board's request that he steer clear of discussing the NFL anthem controversy, and continued to produce commercials starring him after "independent market research showed that a change in spokesperson and advertising strategy was warranted." The view at the Takeout: "This Papa John’s thing is never going to be over, is it?" (Schnatter's use of the n-word led to the latest trouble.)