The man known as "Papa John" is apologizing for his criticism of the NFL national anthem protests.

John Schnatter blamed his sluggish pizza sales on NFL players kneeling during the national anthem.

Papa John’s is a major sponsor of the league, and two weeks ago, Schnatter said NFL leadership has hurt the pizza chain's bottom line.

But now, he is saying something different.

On Twitter, he said, "The statements made on our earnings call were describing the factors that impact our business and we sincerely apologize to anyone that thought they were divisive. That definitely was not our intention. We believe in the right to protest inequality and support the players' movement to create a new platform for change. We also believe together, as Americans, we should honor our anthem. There is a way to do both. We will work with the players and league to find a positive way forward. Open to ideas from all. Except neo-nazis — those guys."