UofL wants to rebuild relationship with Papa Johns founder John Schnatter
The University of Louisville wants to rebuild its relationship with John Schnatter, the founder and former CEO of pizza chain Papa Johns who UofL broke ties with after he used a racial slur on a business call several years ago.
UofL President Gerry Bradley said during an April 23 board of trustees meeting Schnatter had recently expressed a desire to reengage and was invested in the school’s five-year plan, as well as the new president’s vision.
Schnatter resigned from the school’s board of trustees in 2018 after admitting to using a racial slur. He also stepped down as CEO and later as chairman of the board of Papa Johns, one of Kentucky’s largest public companies.
Bradley said in a statement following the Thursday board of trustees meeting that university officials had recently met with Schnatter and “learned a lot of facts and details regarding the circumstances that regrettably led to UofL parting ways with John in 2018.”
“While we recognize that the decisions made years ago were based on the information available at the time, we have gained a greater perspective of the facts that have emerged since then,” Bradley continued. “Considering these developments, UofL now acknowledges the university would have approached the situation differently based on our current understanding and believe the best path forward is to unite in our shared commitment to supporting UofL.”
In a statement to the Herald-Leader, Schnatter thanked the board of trustees and Bradley for the “thoughtful way” they had approached reconciliation.
“The decisions made years ago were deeply disappointing and had real consequences for many people in the Louisville community,” Schnatter said. “I’m encouraged that the University is now taking a more complete and thoughtful view of the facts with clarity and accountability so that the truth may prevail.”
Aside from serving on the board previously and donating to the school, Schnatter and his pizza company previously had other ties with the institution, including being the namesake of its football stadium. The stadium was nicknamed Cardinal Stadium following the 2018 incident and was officially renamed to L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in 2023.
UofL’s Athletic Association paid Schnatter nearly $10 million in a settlement to end the naming rights agreement.
In 2021, the pizza company removed an apostrophe from its branding in an effort to distance itself from Schnatter following his resignation.
His name also adorns the John H. Schnatter Center for Free Enterprise within UofL’s and the University of Kentucky’s business schools.
Schnatter was also on the school’s athletic association board before resigning amid a strained relationship with then athletics director Tom Jurich. Jurich was fired as an FBI investigation into fraud, corruption and UofL’s recruiting practices began.
Schnatter and Jurich were also in constant disagreement over leadership and spending, including for potential expansions at the football stadium that Schnatter had naming rights to since it opened in 1998.
Shortly after Jurich’s firing, in addition to the removal of then men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino, Schnatter blamed his company’s declining sales on racial justice protests at football games and NFL leadership for not stepping in. The business call in which Schnatter said a racial slur was the pizza mogul’s attempt to downplay what he’d previously said about the NFL and its players.
Schnatter is a UofL graduate and a “major benefactor” who has led a number of the school’s initiatives, a statement from the institution said.
He recently made one of the largest private donations to Simmons College of Kentucky in Louisville, a historically Black college. Approximately $2.5 million from Schnatter and the John H. Schnatter Family Foundation will fund the purchase, renovation and expansion of residential condos near the college’s campus.
“We recognize and greatly appreciate everything John has done for our university and the Greater Louisville community over the years, and we look forward to future collaborations with him that will benefit our students, our faculty and all of Card Nation,” Bradley said. “We are excited about the opportunity to move forward with everyone who embraces the mission and vision of the University of Louisville.”
.JPG)