The ongoing saga with the Papa John’s pizza chain had reached another low.
On top of the report we released yesterday on Papa John’s founder John Schnatter resigning as the CEO of the pizza chain, the University of Louisville dropped another bombshell early Friday. In a press conference, Louisville president Neeli Bendapudi announced that the school will strip Papa John’s name from its football stadium, and re-christen it simply as Cardinal Stadium.
Earlier in the week, Schnatter admitted to using the N-word during an internal conference call, leading to him resigning as Papa John’s chairman and from Lousiville’s board of trustees. On top of the stadium being renamed, Schnatter’s name will also be removed from the Center of Free Enterprise inside the business school, effective immediately.
In the news conference, Bendapudi said that she had informed Papa John’s and Schnatter of her decision. During the call, she said that Schnatter was contrite and apologetic, and supported the move as to not be a distraction to the school.
“By taking this action, we renew our community’s commitment to speaking up when it matters, doing what is right, and coming together as one team — our Cardinal family — to heal and move forward,” she said.
The interesting detail in the naming rights deal with the stadium, is that the school’s deal is with Schnatter and not the Papa John’s brand. If Schnatter were to leave the company (as he has), he can rename the stadium. The deal with Louisville runs through 2040, though the school is currently working on the financial details of removing the name.
The Lousiville football team met with Bendapudi after the announcement was made, and were assured that they had her full support. In a written statement, head coach Bobby Petrino said that the school “made the right decision” in renaming the stadium.
