Things are going from bad to worse for Dan Snyder and his Washington Commanders.
The latest story is of failure to refund security deposits, concealing revenue and keeping two sets of financial books, the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee alleges in a letter.
The 20-page letter details shady revenue practices that led to more profits over many years, allegations made by former longtime employee Jason Friedman. On March 14, he met with the committee as part of its investigation into the team’s workplace culture.
“Quite frankly, as you go through the allegations it reads like a description of some organization out of The Godfather and not an NFL football team,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois) said.
Allegations include that the team maintained two books: one, shared with the NFL, with underreported ticket revenue, and another featuring accurate revenue, shown to Snyder.
The Commanders deny the allegations and refer to a March 31 team statement: “The team categorically denies any suggestion of financial impropriety of any kind at any time. We adhere to strict internal processes that are consistent with industry and accounting standards, are audited annually by a globally respected independent auditing firm and are also subject to regular audits by the NFL. We continue to cooperate fully with the Committee’s work.”
An FTC investigation is ongoing.
“It seems like every week or every time we speak with a witness we learn something new,” Krishnamoorthi said. “At this point, I won’t be surprised about anything the witnesses say with regard to the team … Ownership thinks it can get away with things that other people can’t.”
Friedman spent 24 years with the team before his firing in October 2020. He broached other allegations, including failure to return security deposits to customers; and converting security deposits into non-shareable revenue.
