After Papa John's CEO admits using N-word, college players call for stadium name change

By The Wildcard July 13, 2018 at 10:19am

The University of Louisville is removing the Papa John’s name from its football stadium.

The school is taking action after the pizza chain’s founder, John Schnatter, used the N-word in a reference to how Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Colonel Sanders never faced a backlash for using the racial slur.

University President Neeli Bendapudi announced the change for Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Friday, as the pizza chain said it is removing Schnatter’s image from its marketing.

Also being renamed is the John H. Schnatter Center for Free Enterprise at the university’s business college. Schnatter has resigned from the university’s board of trustees.

FILE- In this Dec. 21, 2017, file photo shows signs, including one featuring Papa John’s founder John Schnatter, at a Papa John’s pizza store in Quincy, Mass. Papa John’s plans to pull Schnatter’s image from marketing materials after reports he used a racial slur. Schnatter apologized Wednesday, July 11, 2018, and said he would resign as chairman after Forbes reported that he used the slur during a media training session. Schnatter had stepped down as CEO last year after criticizing NFL protests. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Schnatter had apologized and said he would resign as chairman after Forbes reported that he used the N-word during a media training session.

Schnatter stepped down as CEO last year after criticizing NFL protests.

The University of Louisville’s announcement of the name change came the day after two players on the football team tweeted their displeasure with the stadium’s name.

https://twitter.com/dawkins5_/status/1017448607795044352

Wide receiver Seth Dawkins first tweeted, “We need to change the name of the stadium ASAP, I’m not here for it.”

AT ALL https://t.co/84JlAPznli

— Jaylen Smith (@JaylenSmith_12) July 12, 2018

Teammate and fellow wide receiver Jaylen Smith quickly shared Dawkins tweet, adding his own disdain.

Do you agree with the university's decision to remove Papa John's from the stadium's name?

Dawkins tweeted moments later that he was anticipating a phone call from someone at the university in response to his social media post and referred to the situation as “outta hand at this point.”

According to Lexington Herald-Leader, in a letter from Bendapudi addressed to the “U of L Family” announcing the name change, she called Schnatter’s comments “hurtful and unacceptable.”

Bendapudi also stated the change has the full support of the school’s board of trustees.

The context of Schnatter’s use of the word was a question in the May conference call about how he would distance himself from racist groups online. In his response, he said that “Colonel Sanders called blacks n—–s” but never faced a public backlash.

The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.

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