The founder of Papa John’s has donated $1 million to a historically black college in Kentucky after more than a year of backlash for his use of a racial slur.
News outlets report John Schnatter announced the donation Wednesday at Simmons College of Kentucky. The college’s president, the Rev. Kevin Cosby, and its board of trustees chairman, Mark Lynn, emphasized that people should focus on Schnatter’s actions and not his words.
Schnatter stepped down as CEO of the Louisville-based pizza chain in 2017 and later resigned as its chair after blaming disappointing sales on the NFL player protests and using the N-word during a company conference call .
WLKY-TV reports Simmons is Kentucky’s only private historically black college. The Courier Journal reports Schnatter left the announcement event without speaking with reporters.
