Peyton Manning beat the league to the punch. As confirmed by USA Today Sports, the former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos quarterback sold his stake in 31 Denver-area Papa John's locations on Feb. 26, just days before Pizza Hut took over the role of official sponsor.

The former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos quarterback has sold his stake in 31 Denver-area Papa John's locations to another operator, the Louisville, Ky. -based chain confirmed Wednesday. The Denver Post first reported the sale. Manning and Papa John's owned the locations as part of a joint venture.

During the period when Manning was a Papa John's multi-unit franchisee, the NFL also had close ties with Papa John's, forming a partnership that began in 2010, according to Restaurant Business. Through their Papa John's roles, Manning and Schnatter developed a friendly relationship that continued off-camera.

While Manning has prior experience investing in restaurants, Saloon 16 will be his first restaurant where he is the owner and has ownership on the entire concept from day one. Weprin shared that Manning had a part in every detail that went into creating the entire experience.

John Schnatter was known as “Papa John” after starting the chain in 1984. The company is now distancing itself from the former CEO and dropping the apostrophe in its name. Schnatter responded to the renaming in a statement Tuesday evening, saying, “Try as they may, they can't have Papa Johns without Papa John.”

CEO Steve Ritchie said on the company's earnings conference call that the league and the company mutually decided it was in their best interests for Papa John's, which became the official pizza of the league in 2010, to give up the designation. The brand is the first NFL sponsor to leave in the midst of its deal.

Omaha Productions Omaha Productions is an American entertainment company founded by former football quarterback Peyton Manning. It is known for producing Manningcast, an alternate live television broadcast of ESPN's Monday Night Football hosted by Peyton and his brother Eli.

Papa Johns International (NASDAQ: PZZA) is owned by 107.38% institutional shareholders, 25.35% Papa Johns International insiders, and 0.00% retail investors. John H. Schnatter is the largest individual Papa Johns International shareholder, owning 5.82M shares representing 17.78% of the company. John H.

Per Forbes, Manning made $249 million in salary during his playing days, plus another $151 million in endorsements for a grand total of $400 million. Manning has been a spokesman for Nike, Buick, DirecTV, Gatorade, Nationwide and Papa John's, and he continues to appear in commercials long after his retirement.

Peyton Manning's net worth in 2023 (estimate): $250 million Peyton Manning's net worth in 2023 is $250 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Manning was born on March 24, 1976, in New Orleans. A member of the Manning football family, he is the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning.

Since then, the third-largest pizza chain has been embroiled in a controversy over a racist comment, claims of extortion and litigation threats - all of which are hammering pizza sales at Papa John's across the country.

The brand's Q1 2023 lapped a quarter when it produced the company's highest sales volume in history. And that comped against Q1 2021, which previously marked the top result since Papa Johns began as an oven inside a broom closet in 1984.