In this Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017, file photo, Papa John’s founder and CEO John Schnatter attends a meeting in Louisville, Ky. Schnatter, who appears on the chain’s commercials and pizza boxes, will leave the CEO role in January 2018, weeks after he publicly criticized NFL leadership for the ongoing national anthem protests by football players. He will be replaced by Chief Operating Officer Steve Ritchie on Jan. 1. Schnatter, who is the company’s biggest shareholder, will stay on as chairman. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)
NEW YORK • Papa John's founder John Schnatter will step down as CEO next month, about two months after he publicly criticized the NFL leadership over national anthem protests by football players — comments for which the company later apologized.