John Schnatter, who founded the Papa John's pizza chain in the 1980s, is leaving the chief executive seat. The company said its current president, Steve Ritchie, would replace him. Papa John's is a major NFL sponsor, and Schnatter wasn't shy about sharing his thoughts about players who took a knee during the national anthem to protest the treatment of black Americans, particularly by police. "Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership," Schnatter said in a call with investors. The Daily Stormer, a white-supremacist website, even posted an article asking whether Papa John's was the "official pizza of the alt-right" — the chain responded that it did not want "hate groups" buying its pizza. A press release from the company said he would "pursue his personal passion for entrepreneurship, leadership development, and education." PAPA: The Story of Papa John's Pizza 
 
 Schnatter has also spoken out extensively against what he says is over-regulation. "As far as the politics, I have no idea," Schnatter told Business Insider before Trump's inauguration.
– The Papa John of Papa John's is stepping down as CEO of the pizza chain effective Jan. 1, CNN reports. Papa John's founder John Schnatter will stay on as chairman, the company said Thursday. No reason for Schnatter's changing role was given, but the company said he will be pursuing "his personal passion for entrepreneurship, leadership development, and education," according to Bloomberg. Schnatter will be replaced by Papa John's chief operating officer Steve Ritchie, who started at the company in 1996 as a customer-service rep making $6 an hour. Business Insider reports Schnatter, who owns about 25% of Papa John's, previously left his position in 2005 amid declining sales only to come back three years later. Not only are Papa John's sales once again declining—stock is down more than 30% this year—but the pizza chain has found itself embroiled in controversy. In November, Schnatter blamed declining sales on football players protesting the treatment of black Americans during the national anthem and the NFL not doing more to stop them. That led to an apology from the company two weeks later, but not before white supremacist website the Daily Stormer mused about Papa John's being the "official pizza of the alt-right." In response, the chain had to clarify that it didn't want "hate groups" for customers.