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sports Wednesday 13 april 2022

Congress tells FTC Commanders may have broken financial laws

By STEPHEN WHYNO neys general of Maryland,
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Virginia and the District of
U.S. House Oversight Com- Columbia, and NFL Com-
mittee sent a letter to the missioner Roger Goodell.
Federal Trade Commis- Congress launched an in-
sion on Tuesday saying it vestigation into the team's
found evidence the NFL's workplace misconduct af-
Washington Command- ter the league did not re-
ers engaged in potentially lease a report detailing the
unlawful financial conduct findings of an independent
for more than a decade by probe into the matter. The
withholding ticket revenue committee said the NFL
from visiting teams and and the team "have taken
refundable deposits from steps to withhold key docu-
fans. ments and information."
In the letter obtained by The That led investigators to
Associated Press, the com- seek testimony and docu-
mittee outlined through ments in other ways. The
the testimony of former committee said its investi-
employees and access to gation uncovered every-
emails and documents a thing from "pervasive sex-
pattern of financial impro- ual harassment and other
priety by owner Dan Sny- workplace misconduct to
der and team executives. The helmet of Washington Commanders NFL football team new quarterback Carson Wentz sits on potential financial miscon-
At one point in 2016, the a table during a news conference in Ashburn, Va., Thursday, March 17, 2022. duct."
committee said the team Associated Press According to testimony,
retained up to $5 million financial misconduct in-
from 2,000 season-ticket And, if correct, it could spell ternal processes that are business practices and de- cluded making it inten-
holders while also conceal- significant trouble for Sny- consistent with industry termine if any laws were tionally difficult for season-
ing sharable revenue from der and the Commanders. and accounting standards, broken. ticket holders to recoup
the league. Ticket revenue is shared are audited annually by a "We request that you take refundable deposit money,
One former employee tes- among all 32 NFL teams, globally respected inde- any other action you deem counting some of those
tified before Congress say- with 40% of it deposited in pendent auditing firm, and necessary to ensure that all leftover funds as a differ-
ing the team had two sep- a visiting team fund. Such are also subject to regular funds are returned to their ent kind of revenue that
arate financial books: one money is among the pillars audits by the NFL. We con- rightful owners and that doesn't need to be shared
with underreported ticket of the league's revenue- tinue to cooperate fully those responsible are held with the league, and shift-
revenue that went to the sharing commitment. with the Committee's work." accountable for their con- ing money from ticket sales
NFL and the full, complete A team spokeswoman said The league did not imme- duct," said the letter signed for NFL games to other
picture. According to tes- there was no new com- diately respond to a mes- by committee chairwoman events at FedEx Field as a
timony, Snyder was aware ment and referred to the sage seeking comment. Carolyn B. Maloney and way of hiding that money
of the numbers shared with statement from March 31: The House Oversight Com- economic and consumer from the league.
the league while also being "The team categorically mittee said it is sharing policy subcommittee chair- The committee in the let-
privy to the actual data. denies any suggestion of fi- documents with the FTC man Raja Krishnamoorthi. ter shared spreadsheet
The business practice was nancial impropriety of any because the commission The letter is addressed to data showing evidence of
known as "juice" inside kind at any time." has the authority to inves- FTC chair Lina M. Khan but deposits that were not re-
Washington's front office. "We adhere to strict in- tigate unfair or deceptive was also sent to the attor- turned. q

Vin Scully wins Baseball Digest lifetime achievement award

NEW YORK (AP) — Vin Scully one team. that I turned out to be the
has won the second Life- He was one of six finalists second winner of Baseball
time Achievement Award last year, when Willie Mays Digest's Lifetime Achieve-
presented by Baseball Di- won the inaugural award. ment Award. I'm proud of
gest. This year, a 17-member it and humble at the same
The longtime Dodgers an- panel chose from a list of time."
nouncer was honored Tues- candidates that included Scully won the National
day with an annual distinc- Bobby Cox, Sandy Koufax, Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford
tion that recognizes a living Rachel Robinson, Bud Selig C. Frick Award for broad-
individual "who has made and Joe Torre, among oth- casting excellence in 1982
significant contributions to ers. and received the Presiden-
the national game." "Any award that's already tial Medal of Freedom in
The 94-year-old Scully re- been won by Willie Mays, 2016.
tired after the 2016 sea- who certainly was one of "Vin Scully was not only the
son, ending a 67-year my favorite players and voice of the Dodgers, but
broadcasting career that one for whom I had great was also the soundtrack of Vin Scully walks on stage to accept the Icon Award at the ES-
stretched back to when the respect, is an honor," Scully our national game for an PYS at the Microsoft Theater on Wednesday, July 12, 2017, in Los
Dodgers played in Brooklyn said in a news release. "It's incredible seven decades," Angeles.
before moving to Los An- an honor to even have Baseball Digest publisher Associated Press
geles in the late 1950s. It my name linked with his in David Fagley said.
was easily the longest ten- some way. I was honored, "We are honored to recog- as a broadcaster and as for the sport he loves so
ure of any announcer with delighted and surprised nize his iconic career both a wonderful ambassador much."q