Papa John’s founder John Schnatter is stepping down as CEO of the pizza chain, amid backlash over his comments about NFL players’ national anthem protests. In November, Schnatter blamed falling revenues on the controversy, saying it was “polarizing the customer, polarizing the country.” The company later apologized for those remarks. Chief Operating Officer Steve Ritchie will replace Schnatter on Jan. 1. Schnatter is the biggest shareholder and chairman of the board of directors. On Thursday, Ritchie said it was “the right time to make this change.”
