Commanders Deny Team Withheld Ticket Revenue

[RealGM Wiretap]

The Washington Commanders have strongly denied a former team employee\'s allegation to Congress that they withheld ticket revenue from opponents, saying that amounted to perjury.

But the attorney for that former employee said the team\'s statement defamed him.

The former employee, Jason Friedman, testified before the House Oversight and Reform Committee sometime in the past two weeks that Washington and owner Dan Snyder committed financial improprieties.

It involved allegations that the team withheld ticket revenue from visiting teams. Teams are required to deposit 40% of their ticket revenue into a visiting team fund as part of the NFL\'s revenue sharing.

\"There has been absolutely no withholding of ticket revenue at any time by the Commanders,\" a Washington Commanders spokesperson said. \"Those revenues are subject to independent audits by multiple parties. Anyone who offered testimony suggesting a withholding of revenue has committed perjury, plain and simple.\"

 

Via John Keim/ESPN

[Future Coach]

If this turns out to be legit, Snyder will have the team taken from him. Pretty surprised this isn't a bigger story. One owner taking $ from other owners isn't going to be taken lightly

[dougthonus]

If this turns out to be legit, Snyder will have the team taken from him. Pretty surprised this isn't a bigger story. One owner taking $ from other owners isn't going to be taken lightly

Hard to believe that the employee testifying before congress where he can go to jail if he is lying and likely just committed career suicide made the whole thing up just to stick it to Dan Snyder.

Sort of like Donnie Nelson suing the Mavs and them denying it but previously offering him 52M to go away and not say anything. You know damn well Donnie Nelson isn't lying by the 52M NDA offer.

[Future Coach]

If this turns out to be legit, Snyder will have the team taken from him. Pretty surprised this isn't a bigger story. One owner taking $ from other owners isn't going to be taken lightly

Hard to believe that the employee testifying before congress where he can go to jail if he is lying and likely just committed career suicide made the whole thing up just to stick it to Dan Snyder.

Sort of like Donnie Nelson suing the Mavs and them denying it but previously offering him 52M to go away and not say anything. You know damn well Donnie Nelson isn't lying by the 52M NDA offer.

I completely agree.

Only difference is in the Mavs/Nelson case (if I understand correctly), it seems that the person who actually got sexually assaulted doesn't want to come forward, press charges, and testify (which is sadly a far too common occurrence with sexual assault cases - system needs to change).

But here we have a testimony, then Washington claiming the person committed perjury, and a follow up suit of defamation because the team has now defamed him, which could potentially reveal a whole bunch of info in pretrial discovery - and is likely the very reason that Washington did not sue the individual for defamation themselves (if the guy is committing perjury).


This is going to be it for Snyder. NFL owners can't allow a precedent of one owner withholding $ that should be distributed to the others. Given that they're all in a partnership with each other, they have to make it very clear that this absolutely can not to be tolerated in any way, and get themselves a new partner(/s) to take over Washington (while recouping any withheld $ in the sale).