New York Yankees restore relationship with Papa John's just one month after scandal
Just one month after suspending their partnership with Papa John’s, the New York Yankees are bringing the pizza chain back in.
The Yankees have restored their relationship with Papa John’s, and will once again sell the pizza at Yankee Stadium, according to NJ.com.
The organization had suspended their relationship with the pizza chain after founder John Schnatter admitted to and apologized for using the N-word in a May training session. Schnatter has since resigned.
The MLB ended it’s “Papa Slams” promotion last month in response to the scandal — a promotion that allowed fans to get 40 percent off at Papa John’s the next day after a grand slam was hit. The Nationals, Orioles, Royals, Rays Marlins and Mariners also suspended relationships with the pizza chain.
According to NJ.com, the Yankees will rebrand at least some of the Papa John’s logos used at Yankee Stadium, and will emphasize that the locations serving the pizza in the stadium are “locally owned and operated.”
“As a result of the significant steps recently taken by Papa John’s, including the removal of their founder from all facets of their business, the Yankees have agreed to resume their relationship with the company,” the Yankees said in a statement on Friday.
“As we stated last month, we found the remarks made by the Papa John’s founder to be reprehensible, and our feelings on the matter have not changed.
“The Yankees have had a longstanding relationship with 120 Papa John’s local franchise locations within the tri-state area, and we feel strongly that this incident does not represent their principles, values or their responsibilities to the communities they serve.
“Papa John’s is implementing important and sincere measures to restore customers’ faith in their brand, including the launch of a diversity and inclusion committee, and a third-party audit of their company’s practices. We are confident the company will continue to take the appropriate measures to show their commitment to preventing such an egregious incident from happening again in the future.”
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