Papa John's founder stepping down as CEO

John Schnatter.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Two months after blaming the NFL for lackluster sales, Papa John's founder and CEO John Schnatter will step down.

He will be replaced on Jan. 1 by Chief Operating Officer Steve Ritchie, who did not say if Schnatter's comments and the backlash he received had anything to do with his resignation. Schnatter, who founded Papa John's more than 30 years ago, told analysts during a conference call in late October that the way the NFL was handling national anthem protests "hurt Papa John's shareholders. This should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.