Commanders Fan Says $14K Check from 50/50 Raffle Bounced; Team Cites 'Bank Error'

A Washington Commanders fan who was expecting to receive over $14,000 after winning a FedEx Field raffle instead got a surprise when the team's check bounced.

Drew Shipley, who is a Commanders season ticket holder, told Eric Flack of WUSA9 that the moment was "quite shocking" but the team eventually paid him his prize money.

A Commanders spokesperson told Flack that the problem was caused by a "bank error."

"We reached out directly to the fan as soon as we learned about it and have wired the money directly to his account, and apologized for the inconvenience. It was a bank error, and we are following up with the bank to learn why it happened and ensure it doesn’t happen again," the spokesperson said in an email.

While attending Washington's Week 1 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Shipley was named the winner of the "50/50" raffle, which is when half of the prize money goes to the Washington Commanders Charitable Foundation while the other half goes to a fan who has the winning numbers.

However, Shipley said it took over a month for him to receive his winnings. He tweeted the team twice about the discrepancy and later called his ticket representative to resolve the situation.

Shipley finally received a check for $14,822 on Oct. 13, but four days after he deposited it he was notified that it bounced, which put his bank account in the negative and cost him a $15 bad check fee.

"Quite maddening,” Shipley said, "It took this long to get it, I can’t believe a professional franchise would end up [doing something like that]. Obviously somebody dropped the ball."

Shipley described the incident as just another disappointment in an abysmal Commanders season.

"You gotta do the small things right," Shipley said. "You have big enough scandals from the top of your organization, you gotta retain your customers."

Washington owner Dan Snyder is currently the subject of a months-long investigation for workplace misconduct and harassment.