The Dallas Cowboys will continue their relationship with Papa John's as Jerry Jones owns 120 locations.

“Some teams that I’ve noticed that have addressed the Papa John’s issue by distancing themselves do not have the same relationship that the Cowboys have with the Papa John’s business in Texas,” Jones said Wednesday. “We own the Papa John’s in Texas and feel strongly that our Cowboys are the face of Papa John’s, and that judgment is warranted by what we’ve done over the last 15 years with Papa John’s. That’s very unfortunate. . . . It’s unfortunate for the company and unfortunate for John. I’m sure if he could do it over again, he’d like do-overs. But the bottom line is the Cowboys and our relationship, we own those stores. It’s not an endorsements. Similar to the way [John] Elway does in Denver.

“The point is: We just want to work real hard. We literally have thousands of people who work in those stores and several thousand customers who want to have the kind of taste in your mouth that you want to have when you have Papa John’s to use a phrase.”

Jones, who last fall called John Schnatter “a great American,” said he has not talked to the ousted CEO since Schnatter’s use of a racial slur was revealed.