Papa John’s former owner claims ‘Black people know I’m not a racist’

This is like when someone says, “I’m not a racist, some of my best friends are Black.” John Schnatter, the former owner of Papa John’s Pizza, who was forced to resign recently because of his use of the n-word during meetings, has decided he’s not a “bad” guy after all. According to the Courier-Journal and National Public Radio (NPR), he is trying to take back control of his pizza company. At this time, Schnatter still owns about 30 percent of the company’s stock. In an interview with the Courier-Journal, the beleaguered founder said Black “people know I’m not racist.” However, during the 2012 elections when President Barack Obama was running for re-election, there were reports that Schnatter had told his employees that if he found out that any one had voted for President Obama, they would be fired. Schnatter is reportedly going after Papa John’s legally to get back control of the pizza chain that he started. But the chain says it wasn’t just the n-word that drove the board to take away his power. Research allegedly revealed that a lot of viewers – especially African Americans – did not identify with his strategy as a spokesperson, and many did not care for his stance on the NFL’s National Anthem policy. He actually blamed player protests for a downward turn in sales at the franchise.