The Washington Commanders on Monday denied allegations made by a former employee saying the team withheld revenue earmarked to be shared with the NFL. The heated legal back-and-forth stems from a report last week that Congress is investigating claims of financial impropriety under team owner Daniel Snyder’s leadership.

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform has been interviewing witnesses and reviewing over 80,000 pages of documents as part of an ongoing investigation into the NFL’s handling of allegations of a toxic workplace culture within the Commanders organization.

Jason Friedman, a former vice president of ticketing, recently testified before the committee, according to The Washington Post. Among the allegations – Friedman reportedly said the team held out on depositing the required 40% of its ticket revenue into a visiting team fund — the policy that is part of the NFL’s revenue sharing, spread equally among all 32 teams.

In response to inquiries about the investigation, the Commanders issued a three-sentence statement to multiple outlets: “There has been absolutely no withholding of ticket revenue at any time by the Commanders,” the statement read. “Those revenues are subject to independent audits by multiple parties. Anyone who offered testimony suggesting a withholding of revenue has committed perjury, plain and simple.”

Lisa Banks, a whistleblower attorney who represents more than 40 former team employees, issued a statement of her own on Monday, writing that the Commanders defamed Friedman in accusing him of perjury.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Friedman is unable to defend himself publicly due to contractual constraints that prevent him from speaking freely,” Banks wrote. “He would be happy to recount his testimony if [team owner] Dan Snyder and the Washington Commanders allow him to do so.”

According to ESPN reporter John Keim, the team’s lawyer responded in a statement that “if Mr. Friedman believes he has been defamed, he should bring a defamation suit.”

The 45-member congressional committee has been split on how to handle the investigation, with GOP Oversight spokesman Austin Hacker calling the financial misconduct allegations “a waste of Congress’ time.” The committee has the authority to subpoena the Commanders organization to gather any documents the team isn’t providing willingly.

The NFL launched a 10-month investigation during summer 2020 to look into claims of sexual harassment and, ultimately, fined the Commanders $10 million without releasing the report to the public. Congress, unsatisfied with the results, launched its own investigation last October. The league has since initiated a second probe into additional claims of sexual harassment against Snyder and his team.

“The Committee continues to investigate the hostile workplace and culture of impunity at the Washington Commanders as well as the National Football League’s inadequate response and lack of transparency,” the House committee told the Post in a recent statement. “The Committee will follow the facts wherever they may lead.”

Previously:
Dan Snyder Hires Firm To Investigate New Sexual Harassment Allegations
RGIII Is Writing A Tell-All Book About His Time On The Washington Football Team
Congress Requests NFL Documents Related To Washington Football Team Investigation
Washington Football Team Again Playing Defense As Multiple Controversies Roil Franchise
NFL Fines The Washington Football Team $10 Million After Review Of ‘Highly Unprofessional’ Workplace Culture