Commanders may have broken financial laws, says Congressional committee

The Washington Commanders cheated other NFL teams and season ticket holders out of money with financial practices that may have broken the law, according to a letter sent from the House Oversight and Reform Committee to the Federal Trade Commission.

"We are writing to share evidence of concerning business practices by the Washington Commanders uncovered during the Committee's ongoing investigation into workplace misconduct at the team," the letter reads, which was obtained and published by The Washington Post. "Evidence obtained by the Committee, including emails, documents, and statements from former employees, indicate senior executives and the team's owner, Daniel Snyder, may have engaged in a troubling, long-running, and potentially unlawful pattern of financial conduct that victimized thousands of team fans and the National Football League."

The letter claims the Commanders withheld millions worth of refundable security deposits from season ticket holders for more than a decade and took steps to prevent customers from collecting those deposits. The letter also claims the team maintained "two sets of books" to underreport certain revenues and avoid sharing profits with other NFL teams.