Papa John's to remove founder from promotions; Yankees cuts ties

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Papa John’s International Inc will remove founder John Schnatter from its promotions, the pizza chain said  and baseball team New York Yankees suspended business relationships with the company. Schnatter on resigned from the company as chairman of the board after he used a racial slur on a conference call. Papa John’s said its decision to remove Schnatter from advertisements is the first of several steps to rebuild trust “from the inside-out”. Chief Executive Officer Steve Ritchie said the company would hire an independent expert to audit all of its processes, policies and systems related to diversity and inclusion. “In response to the reprehensible remarks made by Papa John’s founder and owner, the New York Yankees are suspending their relationship with the company,” it said in a tweet. Baseball team Seattle Mariners in a tweet said  that it would cut ties with the pizza chain.