There are three things that are likely to survive a nuclear holocaust. It would be difficult to distinguish between the last two. The atmosphere around the Washington Commanders organization has changed over the last two decades. Congress will intervene if the National Football League doesn't do anything to save its franchise in the nation's capital.
The House Oversight and Reform Committee began an investigation into the Commanders toxic workplace culture in October of 2021.
In February, a former cheerleader alleged that she was put in a limo by a man and that he put his hand on her thigh. On Saturday, A.J. Perez reported that the Commanders were using two accounting books to keep revenue from the visiting team fund.
The Commanders kept ticket revenue that was supposed to be shared with visiting teams, despite testimony by a ticketing employee that he had been with the team for 24 years. There was relief across the Washington metropolitan area because no fanbase despises their team more than the Commanders. By Sunday, there was a lot of speculation that if Synder cheated his owners, he would be kicked out. He doesn't just make poor football personnel decisions, he's also the most unscrupulous owner in the league. The Commies have not commented on the allegation.
According to Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic, Friedman gave no evidence to back up his claims, and it's unclear if he had access to records or other evidence that would support his allegations. According to his Linkedin profile, Friedman was the Vice President of Sales and Customer Service, but he has not worked for the Commanders since 2020.
While Democrats on the Oversight Committee seek interviews and documents that can corroborate allegations that the Commanders used deceptive accounting practices, how much more false hope can one have? Someone is always willing to give cover to the person who is the owner.
Sexual harassment, sexism, and racism have been the subject of NFL investigations into Commanders. Jon Gruden was canned in Las Vegas because of leaked Bruce Allen emails.
It's too early to tell if this is a gateway to a major Synder scandal or a Deflategate nothing-burger. GOP committee members turned a blind eye to sexual harassment in the workplace, and took the stance that they were being asked to do something about it. They couldn't be more wrong. D.C. residents are most interested in ousting Dan Snyder from his post.
The GOP members of the House Oversight committee seem to have thrown their lot in with him. Their response to Friedman was more hostile than the apathy they displayed during his testimony. The statement was released by the spokesman for Republican committee members.
The leak of one-sided, unconfirmed, unsupported allegations from a disgruntled ex-employee with an ax to grind is just further proof that the Democrats' investigation is a waste of time. Nothing the committee has heard from any credible witness points to any financial improprieties; in fact, the only credible witness in a position to know the facts the Democrats have heard from has denied any such improprieties.
The GOP is turning a blind eye to the chaos caused by a contemptuous businessman and instead getting angry about reporting. If we are not careful, we could be in a race with someone in 2024. All Congress can do is shine a light on the roaches, because the other NFL owners hold power in this situation.
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