Peyton Manning sells his Papa John’s franchises

Peyton Manning has officially washed his greasy hands clean of holding any stake in Papa John’s Pizza, which came under fire after its CEO made controversial comments about the NFL’s anthem protests.

Manning, a two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, sold his stake in 31 Denver-area Papa John’s franchises last month, according to USA Today.

Although Manning no longer owns stores, he still remains a “spokesperson and brand ambassador” for Papa John’s in part to a long-term agreement the two parties have, USA Today reported.

Papa John’s became the official pizza of the NFL in 2010. Last week, Papa John’s and the NFL ended their league sponsorship deal as a “mutual decision.” This all comes after Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter blamed national anthem protests for the pizza chain’s declining sales. Schnatter has since been replaced with new CEO Steve Ritchie.

The league announced last Wednesday that Pizza Hut will be the new official pizza chain of the NFL, effective April 1.

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