Papa John's pizza founder John Schnatter said using Shaquille O'Neal to replace him as the national face of the brand was a racist thing for the company to do.
Schnatter left the company in 2018 months after stepping down as CEO when tapes of private conversations with a public relations company surfaced. The audio clip included him saying the N-word but not in a disparaging manner.
The 62-year-old was heard saying that Kentucky Fried Chicken icon Colonel Sanders "called blacks n******," before saying that he never faced public backlash over his alleged position.
"Of all the things that was the most racist. They used a black guy to cover up what they did to a white guy. That's racist... He was just a shield to cover up what they did to me." Papa John Schnatter on Shaquille O'Neal replacing him as the face of Papa Jon Pizza. pic.twitter.com/rxVrkJBVIZ
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) May 11, 2024