Broncos QB Peyton Manning became the “newest franchisee for Papa John's pizza, signing a deal to own 21 stores in the Denver area Friday, the same day the pizza maker also announced it had signed a multi-year contract to continue as the official pizza of the NFL and the Super Bowl,” according to Eddie Pells of the AP. Terms were not disclosed. Manning connected with Papa John's “for a promotion at the 2011 Super Bowl and has since been featured in commercials with founder and CEO John Schnatter.” The most recent ad shows Manning “goading Schnatter into offering a total of 2 million free pizzas to fans who win weekly drawings, doubling the number of freebies the CEO gave away last year.” During Sunday's Saints-Broncos game, Manning will “star in a new commercial stating that, as a new franchisee, he, too, now gets to give away free pizzas.” He also “gives fans information about how to join him in becoming a franchise owner.” Papa John's signed with the NFL in ‘10 and “has been expanding the partnership since then” (AP, 10/26).

EPL club Manchester United has bought out of its training kit partnership with DHL, according to the club's 20-F annual report filed on Thursday. The training kit deal, signed in August '11 and set to expire on June 30, 2014, now expires June 30, 2013. Financial terms were not available. DHL remains the club's "global logistics partner." ManU believes it can secure an increase for its training kit sponsorship. The club wrote in the 20-F annual report, "The significantly increased value of agreements concluded since entering into this agreement, such as our recent $559 million world record shirt sponsorship with General Motors, leads us to believe that there should be strategic opportunities to further optimize the value of these rights" (Christopher Botta, SportsBusiness Journal). The PA noted after ManU announced its four-year, US$51.6M deal with DHL, most experts "were astonished at the sum as it exceeded all the actual kit deals of their Premier League rivals outside of the elite group of present and past Champions League qualifiers" (PA, 10/25). YAHOO SPORTS' Brooks Peck wrote, "Perhaps the most impressive part of this whole thing ... is that DHL is willing to stay on as their 'global logistics' sponsor despite this slap in the face" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 10/25).