The Washington Commanders allegedly failed to properly share revenue associated with ticket sales at their home games with other league franchises, according to a report from Front Office Sports published over the weekend. The allegations were reportedly made as part of a House Oversight Committee investigation of the NFL organization related to allegations that the team had a hostile work environment for many, particularly female staff members and members of the team’s cheer squads.
NFL bylaws require that all teams share 40% of the revenue from ticket sales for home games, minus certain ticketing fees and taxes, with the league. At least one individual speaking to the investigators from Congress indicated that the team was not honoring that rule after the initial investigation was expanded to look at the team’s finances and owner Dan Snyder.
Details on the alleged scheme and what percentage of revenue may have been withheld have not been revealed. The length of time the alleged scheme was taking place is also unclear. What is clear is that if the allegations are proven out, it could be disastrous for Snyder and the franchise, at least related to their relationship with the league and its other ownership groups.
“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,” writes Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports, who pointed out the litany of scandals that the organization has faced under Snyder’s ownership, as well as its decline in on-field performance and dwindling attendance. “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,” he continued.
A spokesperson for the GOP members of the Oversight Committee pushed back against the information about the allegations being made public.
“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,” says Austin Hacker. “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.”
Sources for the Front Office Sports story, however, indicated that the allegations weren’t solely based on one individual’s testimony.
For many years, the Washington franchise maintained that it had a lengthy waiting list for the purchase of season tickets, claiming that it had as many as 200,000 names on it. But season ticket memberships were officially made available who anyone who wished to purchase them without the pretense of a waiting list in 2018. Washington has won three Super Bowls, but hasn’t appeared in the game since its last victory in 1991.
Single-game tickets are not yet available for purchase for the 2022 season, which will see Washington home games against the Green Bay Packers, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, and Jacksonville Jaguars in addition to division rivals the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, and New York Giants.
Washington Commanders Ticket Links
Note – the full NFL schedule has not been released at the time of this being published
Washington Commanders tickets at Ticketmaster
Washington Commanders tickets at Event Tickets Center
Washington Commanders tickets at SeatGeek
Washington Commanders tickets at StubHub
Washington Commanders tickets at Ticket Club | Free Membership Offer
Washington Commanders tickets at TicketNetwork
Washington Commanders tickets at TicketSmarter
Washington Commanders tickets at Vivid Seats
