Papa John's and the NFL are splitting up.
In a joint statement released on Tuesday, the two announced the pizza franchise will no longer be the official pizza of the NFL.
"The NFL and Papa John's have made a mutual decision to shift from their 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," the statement read.
The relationship began to fracture over the last year, with former CEO John Schnatter blaming the NFL's handling of players protesting during the national anthem as reason for the decline in sales.
"We are disappointed the NFL and its leadership did not resolve this," he said in November. "Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership."
He added that the issues of protests during the national anthem should have been "nipped in the bud" a year and a half ago.
Schnatter eventually apologized for his remarks, but stepped down as CEO on Jan. 1 while remaining with the company as a chairman.
Reports surfaced in November that some owners believed Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who owns stake in more than 100 Papa John's locations, was behind Schnatter's public attack of the league.
According to ESPN's Darren Rovell, Papa John's saw a 3.9 percent decline in sales from October through December in 2017 compared to the year prior.
