Commanders Allegedly Withheld Ticket Revenue From NFL

A Congressional committee received information in recent weeks that alleges the Washington Commanders held back some ticket revenue that was supposed to be shared with other NFL teams, sources told Front Office Sports.

It is not clear how long this alleged scheme ran for or who authorized it.

According to the NFL’s Constitution and Bylaws, teams are required to pass along 40% of net ticket sales from each home game to the league; a pool of money that is then dispersed to visiting teams.

At least one person forwarded information to Congressional investigators that alleges the Commanders didn’t pass along the full 40%, two sources with knowledge of the investigation told FOS.

Congress’ Pivot on Probe

The House Oversight Committee “continues to investigate the hostile workplace and culture of impunity,” a spokesperson for the body said on Thursday as FOS reported that the focus of the investigation expanded to include allegations of financial improprieties. 

• Ticket sales are the only part of local revenues that have to be shared among NFL owners. 
• The allegations that the team held back some of the ticket money not only impacts other owners, but also the players as well since the money is factored into the salary cap. 
• The Green Bay Packers, the only publicly owned team in the NFL, took in $77 million in ticket sales in 2019.

Sources with knowledge of the ticket scheme allegations told FOS that Oversight Committee staffers received more information beyond first-person testimony.