Congress reportedly expands NFL, Washington Commanders investigation to examine team's finances and debt
- Congress is now investigating whether Daniel Snyder and the Washington Commanders used deceptive financial practices.
- According to one report, Congress is looking into whether the Commanders used "two books."
The Congressional committee investigating the Washington Commanders' workplace culture, along with the NFL's subsequent investigation into allegations of sexual harassment, is now looking into whether the team used deceptive financial practices.
Liz Clarke, Paul Kane, and Mark Maske of The Washington Post first reported that the committee was "looking into allegations of financial improprieties under Daniel Snyder's ownership."
AJ Perez of Front Office Sports later reported that one source told him that the committee was looking into an allegation that Washington used "two books" that gave different representations of the team's finances.
According to Perez, one aspect of the investigation is looking into whether Snyder's debt load is impacting the team's finances.
In 2021, Snyder received a $450 million debt waiver from the NFL as part of his $875 million purchase of the remaining 40.5% of the team. Snyder and his family now own 100% of the franchise, after buying out his minority partners, including Fred Smith, the founder of FedEx.
Smith and the other limited partners, who had been part of the group since 2003, had been looking to sell after several damaging stories about the team were brought to light, including Snyder's longtime reluctance to drop the "Redskins" nickname.
The Post also reported that the new branch of the investigation is still in the early stages and "remains behind closed doors and among the highest levels" of the committee, noting that some members of the committee said they were unaware of the new direction.
Nonetheless, the developments on Capital Hill raise another red flag that could indicate that Snyder is losing his grip on the team, which he has owned since 1999.
In February, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that other NFL owners were cooling on the idea of continuing to support Snyder's place at the table.
"I'm told for the first time ever there is a sense among ownership that the time may have come for Daniel Snyder to move on," Florio said.