Of all the gross things Daniel Snyder has done throughout his tenure as the owner of the Washington NFL franchise, the latest allegation may be something to spur serious action from his fellow owners.
Washington’s football team has been investigated by Congress for their workplace culture, which included sexual harassment allegations. Congress has also investigated the NFL’s involvement in the situation.
On Thursday, we learned that the investigation into the Commanders has also taken a turn towards their financial accounting. Now we have some information regarding a specific allegation.
Saturday, Front Office Sports reported that one of the accounting allegations made against the team is that the Commanders withheld ticket revenue from the NFL.
NFL bylaws state that teams are supposed to pass 40 percent of ticket revenue (minus ticket handling charges and taxes) to the league. The money is then dispersed to visiting teams.
The 40 percent share from ticket revenues are the only local revenue that is shared among the league’s teams. That money not only is shared by the teams in the league, but it also factors into the NFL’s revenue pie, of which players get a portion (via the salary cap).
Washington has denied committing any accounting impropriety.
“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,” a team spokesperson said in a statement to the Washington Post.
Snyder has survived the sexual harassment scandal, backlash over the team’s nickname, and much more over his rocky ownership tenure since 1999. But if it’s determined that he was pocketing more money than he should have been — effectively stealing from the other owners and players — that might be the final straw to get him voted out as an owner.
Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
