The Washington Commanders failed to refund security deposits, concealed revenue and kept two sets of financial books, the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee alleged in a letter it sent to the Federal Trade Commission.
The 20-page letter detailed what the committee said was a multiyear process of altering records to hide revenue that led to more profits for the organization. The allegation of financial improprieties were made by former longtime employee Jason Friedman who, on March 14, met with members of the committee as part of its investigation into the team’s workplace culture.
According to emails and an Excel sheet he provided to the committee, Friedman alleged the team might have retained as much as $5 million in deposits from approximately 2,000 customers.
“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-Ill) told ESPN. He signed the letter along with the chairwoman of the committee, Rep. Carol Maloney (D-NY). “It really helps to color the culture and impunity that other witnesses have described and the evidence of severe dysfunction.”
In a statement included in the letter, Maloney said, “This new information on potential financial misconduct suggests that the rot under Dan Snyder’s leadership is much deeper than imagined. It further reinforces the concern that this organization has been allowed to operate with impunity for far too long.”
In the letter, the committee says Friedman claimed the team maintained two books — one that was shared with the NFL with the underreported ticket revenue — and another that included the accurate revenue and was shown to owner Dan Snyder.
Washington denied the allegations and referred to a statement the team released on March 31. A team spokesperson said in that release, “The team categorically denies any suggestion of financial impropriety of any kind at any time. We adhere to…
Source : espn
