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NEW YORK – Papa John's becomes "Shaq-ified".
The pizza chain said Friday that Shaquille O 'Neal, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, would be his new pitch player, appearing in TV commercials and promoting Papa John' s. ;another way. The company hopes that O & # 39; Neal will be able to repair its image and relaunch its sales after its founder, John Schnatter, made insensitive racist remarks.
You know @SHAQ as a Hall of Fame member, sports commentator and entrepreneur. Today, we add "Papa John 's board member and investor in Atlanta' s stores to his long list of activities. His business acumen and his passion for our pizza make him an ideal candidate.
– Papa John's Pizza (@PapaJohns) March 22, 2019
In addition to being a spokesperson, O & Neal will also join the company's board of directors and invest in nine of his restaurants in the Atlanta area.
"If you want to savor a good pizza and feel loved by those who serve it, you can go home now," said O. Neal in an interview with the Associated Press. "The father" is here. "
Papa John's problems began in 2017, when Schnatter criticized the NFL leadership and accused football players of protesting the decline in pizza sales. Last year, it was revealed that he had used a racial insult during a media training session. Schnatter apologized for this insult, and the company cleaned his face of the company's logo and pizza boxes. He is still the largest shareholder of the company based in Louisville, Kentucky.
O 'Neal said that Schnatter's comments were "not acceptable" and that he had told company executives that his leadership needed more diversity. He says he is the first African-American to join Papa John's board of directors.
"We want to create a culture that allows everyone to know that they are loved, accepted and desired," said O. Neal.
Papa John's International Inc. said it would pay O'Neal more than $ 8 million in cash and shares of the company for the three-year deal.
Wall Street seems to think that it is a winning partnership. Papa John's shares climbed more than 6% on Friday.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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