Texas Rangers, FC Dallas suspend Papa John's promotions in wake of racist slur use by founder

The Texas Rangers and FC Dallas have suspended all promotions involving Papa John's in the wake of the fallout from the company’s founder using a racial slur.

First reported by The Dallas Morning News on Friday, the Rangers immediately suspended its “RANGERS7” promotion that gives fans half off an order the day after the team scores seven or more runs in a game.

The pizza promotion has been a staple of Rangers baseball since 2011.

Later in the day, soccer team FC Dallas also said it was suspending a promotion it had with the company. It offered fans half off the day after a game that had at least two FC Dallas goals.

It was also announced on Friday that the image of founder John Schnatter, the face of the company in logos and TV ads, would be pulled from the company’s marketing. It was all part of continuing efforts of Papa John's to further publicly distance itself from Schnatter after Forbes reported he used the N-word during a conference call in May. Schnatter apologized and said he would resign as chairman.

Schnatter had used the slur during a media training exercise, Forbes said. When asked how he would distance himself from racist groups, Schnatter reportedly complained that Colonel Sanders never faced a backlash for using the word. Schnatter subsequently issued a statement acknowledging the use of "inappropriate and hurtful" language.

Major League Baseball had also said it was indefinitely suspending a promotion with Papa John's that offered people discounts at the pizza chain after a player hit a grand slam.

Papa John's International Inc. began operations in 1984 and has more than 5,200 locations globally.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.