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School Board In Indiana Names Facility After Papa John's Founder

Timothy D. Easley/AP Photo/File

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A high school baseball complex in the southern Indiana city where Papa John's founder began his pizza business will be named in his honor, a year after his name was stripped from a gym over racist remarks.

John Schnatter opened the first Papa John's in Jeffersonville in 1984. He stepped down as CEO in 2017 and later resigned as chair after facing backlash for using racist language during a conference call.

The Greater Clark County Schools board voted Tuesday to rename Jeffersonville High School's baseball facility the John H. Schnatter Stadium. Schnatter's foundation will provide $500,000 to renovate the complex.

Mayor Mike Moore says he's disappointed by the vote.

The city returned money Schnatter donated to rename the Nachand Fieldhouse after him in 2018.