One Dan Snyder investigation is ending and a new lawsuit was just announced

Last week D.C. Attornery General Karl Racine had a “major announcement” about their investigation into Dan Snyder and the Washington Commanders. A consumer protection lawsuit was announced that named Snyder, the Commanders, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and the NFL itself, but it was considered a let down by many observers, and didn’t address the alleged financial improprieties that came out of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform’s investigation. Racine did say that those accusations, and their investigation into them, would likely trigger another lawsuit, and that’s what was announced yesterday.

The D.C. AG’s office has filed another lawsuit against the Washington Commanders, and it’s related to the accusations that the team withheld deposits that should have been returned to season ticket holders. They are being sued “for implementing an illegal scheme to cheat District ticket holders out of their deposits for season tickets and use the money for its own purposes.” It alleges that the team “prioritized its own revenues over fairness and deceived District consumers by wrongly withholding their security deposits that should have been automatically repaid under consumers’ contracts, and improperly using those deposits for the Team’s own purposes.”

Racine’s office said in a statement that the Commanders “have returned some of the money to ticket holders but, as of March 2022, they still held nearly $200,000 in unreturned security deposits paid by District consumers. They have also forfeited thousands of dollars from District consumers’ security deposits and converted that money into revenue for the team, to use for its own purposes.”

Washington has been contacting fans who were owed money recently in an attempt to return those “lost” funds. This was seen as a response to the lawsuits that were in the works by D.C., and investigations that are still ongoing in Virginia and Maryland.

The Washington Commanders issued a statement on the new lawsuit:

Washington will also be raising ticket prices for the first time in almost a decade...

Washington also reached a settlement over deposits withheld in Maryland.

The investigation from the House Committee on Oversight and Reform will be ending in January. Democrats who currently have control of the House of Representatives will lose their majority next year after this month’s mid-term elections. Republicans on the committee have made it clear they see this as a witch hunt and an inappropriate use of the Oversight Committees time and resources.

A final report is expected to be issued, but multiple investigations and lawsuits have been started based on their findings. Team owner Dan Snyder, former team president/GM Bruce Allen, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell were all subpoenaed and testified before the committee. Dan Snyder’s testimony has still not been released to the public, something his lawyers pointed out in their response to reports that the investigation was ending.

Response from the Washington Commanders: