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The Washington Nationals are joining the growing list of sports organizations that are distancing their relationship with Papa John’s following fallout from the company’s founder, John Schnatter, using a racist slur during a conference call.
Schnatter resigned as chairman of the pizza chain after admitting to using the N-word during a May conference call. The Nationals joined several other MLB teams to suspend their ties with Papa John’s, including the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees.
“The Washington Nationals do not condone discrimination of any kind,” the Nationals said in a statement. “Therefore, we have suspended our partnership with Papa John‘s. However, we remain supportive of our local operators who have been fantastic partners for more than eleven years.”
Schnatter also stepped down from his post on the University of Louisville’s board of trustees, and the university has decided to remove Papa John’s from the naming rights of its football stadium. Schnatter previously received backlash after he blamed the company’s declining sales in 2017 on NFL players protesting the national anthem.
Local area Papa John’s restaurants were giving fans 50 percent off following Nationals’ wins, when using a promotional code.
Currently, the Redskins, Wizards, and Capitals continue to have a partnership with Papa John’s.
