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According to Front Office Sports’ AJ Perez, the Washington Commanders have allegedly withheld ticket revenue to be shared with other NFL teams.
NFL teams must send 40 percent of ticket sales from each home game to the league. The NFL then distributes the money to away teams. According to Perez, the House Oversight and Reform Committee received information from at least one person that said the Commanders did not provide the full 40 percent of ticket sales.
“Ticket sales not only impact other teams, but players as well, as ticket revenue feeds into the league’s total revenue, which is used to determine the annual salary cap,” Perez wrote.
The 2022 salary cap is $208.2 million, an increase of more than $25 million over the 2021 season per Perez.
It’s unclear how long the commanders allegedly withheld ticket revenue. According to Perez, the franchise and the NFL recently learned of the allegations.
The news comes after the Commanders denied a report by The Washington Post’s Liz Clarke, Paul Kane and Mark Maske that the House Oversight Committee was investigating allegations of financial irregularities by the team:
“The team is not aware of any investigation by the House Oversight Committee into any financial matter, despite vague and unsubstantiated claims made today by anonymous sources. The team categorically rejects at all times any suggestion of financial impropriety of any kind. We adhere to strict internal processes that are consistent with industry and accounting standards, are audited annually by a globally recognized independent accounting firm and are also subject to regular audits by the NFL. We continue to participate fully in the work of the committee.”
Perez also reported Thursday that the congressional committee expanded its investigation into the commanders allegedly fostering a toxic work environment to include an investigation into the team’s finances and that of owner Dan Snyder.
The franchise’s investigation has been ongoing for months, and former Washington employees recently brought new allegations of sexual harassment against Snyder.
The NFL previously fined the Commanders $10 million under its own investigation and ordered Snyder to shut down day-to-day operations for a few months while his wife, Tanya Snyder, who had been named co-CEO, took over day-to-day duties.