UPDATE 7/13/18: Papa John’s International released a statement from CEO Steve Ritchie stating, “The Board of Directors of Papa John’s accepted Mr. Schnatter’s resignation as Chairman of the Board earlier this week. It has also been decided he will no longer be in any of the advertising or marketing materials associated with the brand.”

A short, and to-the-point press release from Papa John’s announced yesterday, “Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) today announced that the independent directors of the company have accepted the resignation of John H. Schnatter as Chairman of the Board.”

Schnatter stepped down as CEO in December of 2017, after coming under fire for blaming the NFL for the international pizza chain’s weakened sales. The company terminated its NFL relationship in February of this year.

Now, Schnatter has resigned his position on the board after a racial slur he made during a May conference call, according to CBS News.

According to the CBS News article, “On the May call, Schnatter reportedly said the N-word while complaining that a legendary fast-food chain founder had used the word in the past without being subjected to public backlash. He also reflected on his childhood in Indiana, saying people used to drag African-Americans from trucks until they died, according to Forbes.”

In a statement released by Papa John’s, Schnatter stated, “News reports attributing the use of inappropriate and hurtful language to me during a media-training session regarding race are true. Regardless of the context, I apologize. Simply stated, racism has no place in our society.”