Report: Commanders alleged to have hidden ticket revenue from other NFL teams
The new allegations of financial impropriety by the Washington Commanders are taking shape, and the NFL will be extraordinarily unhappy with team owner Dan Snyder if the accusations turn out to be true.
The House Oversight Committee, which has been investigating allegations of sexual harassment against Snyder, has received information alleging the Commanders have been hiding ticket revenue that is supposed to be shared with other NFL teams, according to A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports.
It was reported Thursday that Congress expanded its investigation into the Commanders' books.
The NFL requires all teams to pass along 40 percent of home game net ticket revenue to the league, which gives that piece of the pie to visiting teams. One person reportedly gave information to Congressional investigators alleging the Commanders haven't been turning over the full 40 percent.
Beyond that, details on the alleged scheme are scarce. It remains unknown how long the scheme would have run for or who authorized it. The Commanders and the NFL were reportedly made aware of the allegations in recent weeks.
There is reportedly disagreement over the handling of the allegations as well, with one Republican spokesperson expressing discontent that investigators are looking into the team's finances.
From The Washington Post:
“The leak of one-sided, unconfirmed, unsupported allegations from a disgruntled ex-employee with an ax to grind is just further proof the Democrats’ investigation is a waste of Congress’ time,” GOP Oversight Spokesperson Austin Hacker said. “Nothing the Committee has heard from any credible witness points to any financial improprieties; in fact, the only credible witness in a position to know the facts the Democrats have heard from has denied any such improprieties.”
In addition to the Congressional investigation, the Commanders are also on their second NFL investigation over allegations of workplace sexual misconduct after a former cheerleader accused Snyder of harassing her before the committee.
NFL would be livid if allegations are true
For years, the NFL and its team owners have stood by and allowed Snyder to run his franchise as he saw fit.
Snyder's ownership has seen the Commanders languish on the field. They defended a racist name for years. They've seen one of the NFL's largest fan bases dwindle to the point that they're often outnumbered by empty seats and opposing fans. They've seen scandal after scandal, bizarre story after bizarre story. The scandal that caused this current investigation has already resulted in a $10 million fine and Snyder being officially removed from his team's day-to-day operations.
Snyder's Commanders have been an embarrassment, but that hasn't been enough to push his fellow franchise owners into removing him from their ranks. However, this latest development might cause that push, if true.
Problematic names, sexual harassment allegations and lawsuits against grandmothers might reflect badly on the league, but there is no better way to uniformly enrage NFL club owners than taking money out of their pockets.
