Papa John's and the NFL have decided to end their official partnership. That means Papa John's is no longer the official pizza of the NFL, according to ESPN, but they will still advertise during games and partner directly with local teams.

The company confirmed the news in a statement:

"As we plan for our future, it is important to diversify our media investments. Accordingly, we have mutually agreed with the NFL to shift from an official league sponsorship to a focus on partnerships with 22 local NFL teams, presence in broadcast and digital media, and key personalities in the sport. This gives us the opportunity to continue connecting with football fans while promoting our brand on new platforms."

The decision to end the partnership comes after Papa John's founder John Schnatter said his company had lower sales because NFL players were staging protests during the national anthem. Fewer people were watching games because of the protests, he claimed, which meant fewer people were ordering pizzas during the games. "This should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago," Schnatter said at the time, blaming the NFL for not ending the protests.

Company stock dropped after his comments, and he ended up apologizing for them and stepping down as the company's CEO at the end of 2017, though it was unclear whether his comments led to his exit from the company.

According to CNN Money, Papa John's had been a partner with the NFL since 2010. The NFL hasn't issued its own statement on ending the partnership yet.

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