The issues keep on coming for the Washington Commanders.
First, there’s an ongoing investigation regarding the sexual harassment allegations against team owner Daniel Snyder.
After trading for quarterback Carson Wentz, they are also getting some flak from sports fans and sportsbooks.
Then there’s the allegations that the team broke financial laws by hiding some of their revenue from ticket sales.
Regarding the latest controversy, ESPN NFL Nation reporter for the Commanders John Keim shared this tweet.
Filed an update to ESPN on all the allegations in the letter to the FTC. Spoke with Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) who said, “Quite frankly, as you go through the allegations it reads like a description of some organization out of the Godfather and not an NFL football team."
— John Keim (@john_keim) April 12, 2022
Keim quoted Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi who said, “Quite frankly, as you go through the allegations it reads like a description of some organization out of the Godfather and not an NFL football team.”
While The Godfather is a critically-acclaimed movie series, being compared to the mafia portrayed in those films is not a good sign for the team.
It’s an issue that Snyder might not survive, causing him to forcibly relinquish team ownership.
It’s never a good sign once Congress is involved because harsh sanctions will be bestowed once gross wrongdoing has been discovered.
A Brief Explanation Of The Commanders’ Financial Scandal
The United States House Oversight and Reform Committee sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission that the Commanders allegedly kept two financial books and concealed parts of their revenue from ticket sales.
The letter also accused the team of failing to refund security deposits.
Allegations of financial inconsistencies were made by former employee Jason Friedman who claimed that the team retained as much as $5 million in deposits from about 2,000 customers.
NFL teams devote a portion of their ticket sales income to a pool which will then be divided equally among all 32 teams.
Friedman also accused the Commanders of misleading customers to sell higher ticket prices.
NEXT: Will The Commanders Make The Playoffs With Carson Wentz?