(Reuters) – Yum Brands Inc’s Pizza Hut on Wednesday said it will be the new official pizza sponsor of the National Football League, after Papa John’s International Inc ended an eight-year relationship.
Pizza Hut’s multi-year partnership will begin during the 2018 NFL Draft near its global headquarters in Dallas, Pizza Hut said.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Papa John’s Chief Executive Officer John Schnatter, 56, who founded the company in 1984, came under fire in November after he criticized the NFL’s leadership over national anthem protests by players.
Papa John’s shares were down about 6 percent in premarket trading. Yum Brands’ shares were unchanged.
(Reporting by Vibhuti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr)
