(Bloomberg) -- Papa John’s International Inc. said outspoken founder John Schnatter is no longer its spokesman, in another attempt by the pizza maker to distance itself from the former chairman who resigned this month after coming under fire for using a racial slur.

The board voted to terminate an agreement that formally made Schnatter a spokesman for the brand, and is requesting that he cease media appearances on behalf of the firm, according to a company statement. Though Schnatter no longer holds a formal management role, he remains on the board and still owns about 30 percent of the company’s shares.

Schnatter came under pressure after a media report that he used a racial slur and graphic descriptions of violence against minorities in a conversation with the company’s former media agency Laundry Service. That was just months after he exited the chief executive officer job over critical comments about the National Football League’s national-anthem controversy.

The board also voted to terminate a sublease agreement granting Schnatter the right to use office space at the company’s corporate headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, it said. The board accepted Schnatter’s resignation July 11 and will appoint a new chairman in coming weeks.

Shares of Papa John’s have dropped about 4.6 percent this year through July 13.

Papa John’s is struggling to revive its business as Domino’s Pizza Inc. and a resurgent Pizza Hut eat into its market share. In the first quarter, Papa John’s same-store sales in North America dropped 5.3 percent. The chain has said it’s trying to appeal to more cash-strapped customers by pushing discounted fare. Meanwhile, Pizza Hut has taken over as an official NFL sponsor.

To contact the reporters on this story: Leslie Patton in Chicago at lpatton5@bloomberg.net;Craig Giammona in New York at cgiammona@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anne Riley Moffat at ariley17@bloomberg.net, Lisa Wolfson, K. Oanh Ha

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