The Atlanta Falcons have indefinitely suspended their relationship with Papa John’s. The Seattle Seahawks have now taken similar action.
Via KIRO-TV, the Seahawks currently are not partnering with the nationwide pizza chain, which has four locations in CenturyLink Field. It’s unclear whether the relationship has been terminated or simply suspended.
The NFL parted ways with Papa John’s earlier this year, but multiple individual teams still do business with the company. The suspensions by teams like the Falcons and Seahawks ultimately may be temporary, with relationships resuming once the dust settles on recent events that resulted in company founder John Schnatter being excommunicated from the company. The spark came when Forbes.com reported that Schnatter made racially insensitive remarks during a conference call with a firm that had been hired to help Schnatter rehabilitate his image.
UPDATE 1:42 p.m. ET: The Seahawks tell PFT that the relationship with Papa John’s has ended, that the team currently is finalizing a new pizza partnership, that the new partner will be announced during training camp if not sooner, and that this process began “months ago.”