Better ingredients, better pizza; more NFL anthem protests, less sales. That was the message Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter sent Wednesday.

“The NFL has hurt us,” Schnatter said during a conference call, according to ESPN. “We are disappointed the NFL and its leadership did not resolve this.”

The CEO, who famously stars in the company’s commercials alongside NFL legends like Peyton Manning, also said he thought the national anthem issues had been “nipped in the bud” last season.

That was largely the case until President Trump denounced players who took a knee during the anthem. Since then, the protests — which players say are statements against racial inequality and police brutality toward minorities — have only grown.

Schnatter appears to blame beleaguered NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for the issue.

“Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership,” Schnatter said. “NFL leadership has hurt Papa John’s shareholders.”

On Sunday, for example, the vast majority of the Houston Texans took a knee during the anthem in response to the team’s owner, Bob McNair, saying, “We can’t have the inmates running the prison,” during a meeting with fellow owners about the protests.

Papa John’s, which has had a sponsorship deal with the league since 2010, has pulled some of its ads because of the protest, executives said. In response, the NFL gave the pizza company ad space in the future.

The pizza maker’s stock price fell to its lowest point in eight months Wednesday.

According to Papa John’s, the NFL and the protests are largely to blame.