Report: Commanders Allegedly Held Back Ticket Revenue Required to Be Shared with NFL
April 3, 2022
The Washington Commanders allegedly held back ticket revenue that is supposed to be shared with other NFL teams, according to A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports.
NFL teams are required to send 40 percent of ticket sales from every home game to the league. The NFL then distributes the money to away teams. According to Perez, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform received information from at least one person saying the Commanders didn't provide the full 40 percent of ticket sales.
"Ticket sales not only impact other teams, but also the players since ticket revenue is factored into overall league revenues that are used to come up with each year's salary cap," Perez wrote.
The 2022 salary cap is $208.2 million, which is an increase of more than $25 million from the 2021 season, per Perez.
It's unclear how long the Commanders allegedly withheld ticket revenue. The franchise and the NFL learned about the allegations recently, according to Perez.
The news comes after the Commanders denied a report from Liz Clarke, Paul Kane and Mark Maske of the Washington Post that the House Oversight Committee was investigating allegations of financial improprieties by the team:
"The team is not aware of any investigation by the House Oversight Committee regarding financial matters, despite vague and unsubstantiated claims today by anonymous sources. 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."
Perez also reported Thursday that the congressional committee expanded its investigation of the Commanders allegedly fostering a toxic work environment to include an exploration of the team's finances and those of owner Dan Snyder.
The investigation into the franchise has been going on for months, and former Washington employees recently brought forth new sexual harassment allegations against Snyder.
The NFL previously fined the Commanders $10 million after its own investigation and ordered Snyder to give up day-to-day operations for a few months while his wife, Tanya Snyder, who had been named co-CEO, took over everyday duties.