Papa John's Adds Another Quality Ingredient with Superstar J.J. Watt, 2015 NFL Defensive Player of the Year

Houston Texans' Defensive End Joins Five-Time NFL MVP Peyton Manning as Official Pizza Spokesperson

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Papa John's continues to "up its game" not only with better ingredients in its pizza but also with the addition of another elite NFL athlete as a brand spokesperson: J.J. Watt. The 2015 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and MVP runner-up, Watt joins the two-time Offensive Player of the Year winner and five-time MVP Peyton Manning, to round out Papa John's "Better" team as they gear up for another season as the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL.

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"We went for two and scored big with the addition of J.J. Watt to our All-Pro starting lineup," said John Schnatter, founder, chairman and CEO of Papa John's. "J.J. and Peyton share my passion for always striving to improve - whether it's pizza making or playmaking - and becoming even better at their craft."

As part of a multi-year deal, Watt will appear in a national advertising campaign with Schnatter and Manning during the upcoming NFL football season. Watt has previously worked with Papa John's in Houston, Texas, appearing in local television commercials, participating in joint-fundraising efforts for the Justin J. Watt Foundation - which supports athletic opportunities for middle school students in the area - and even delivering pizzas to unsuspecting customers and fans, harkening back to his days in college as a pizza delivery driver.

"What I respect about Papa John's is that they hold themselves to a very high standard and they're constantly working to improve," said J.J. Watt. "I appreciate Papa John's continued support of my foundation and look forward to taking on a role I happen to be quite familiar with - delivering pizzas."

Papa John's is in its fourth year as the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL and the Official Pizza of Super Bowl 50, held this year in Santa Clara, Calif. Papa John's is also the preferred pizza of the Houston Texans, Denver Broncos and 20 other NFL teams.

About Papa John's

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world's third-largest pizza delivery company. For 14 of the past 16 years, consumers have rated Papa John's No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John's is the Official Pizza Sponsor of the National Football League and Super Bowl 50. For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John's at www.papajohns.com. Also visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/papajohns, Twitter at twitter.com/papajohns, YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/papajohns, Instagram at instagram.com/papajohns, Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/papajohnspizza, and Vine at vine.co/papajohns

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Papa John's
Peter Collins, 502-261-4233
Senior Director, Public Relations
peter_collins@papajohns.com

Source: Papa John's

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