The Washington Commanders reached a $1.3 million settlement with fans after failing to return season ticket deposits under its previous owners, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Tuesday.
“It was simply greed,” he said on WTOP-FM.
Miyares’ office launched an investigation into the NFL franchise in April 2022 after supporters alleged that the Commanders illegally retained season ticket deposits that were meant to be refundable.
The Commanders agreed to pay $600,000 to the 475 fans impacted by this practice. The franchise will also pay penalties totaling $700,000, according to the attorney general.
“Our investigation found that the Commanders’ prior ownership unlawfully retained security deposits for years after they should have been returned to consumers,” Miyares wrote in a statement. “I thank the team’s current ownership for cooperating with this investigation and for working toward rectifying the consumer harm we identified.”
The attorney general stated that the franchise’s current ownership group, led by Josh Harris, inherited these difficulties from the previous owner, Dan Snyder.
“We are pleased that this settlement has been reached, resolving issues that occurred under prior ownership,” a Commanders representative said in a statement.
According to the United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform, the Commanders kept more than $5 million from season ticket holders during Snyder’s tenure.
The settlement reached on Tuesday is just the latest step in Harris and the Commanders’ efforts to absolve themselves of Snyder’s acts. The franchise reached similar deals with the Maryland and District of Columbia governments in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
“Rather than being transparent and upfront in their ticket sale practices, the Commanders unlawfully took advantage of their fan base, holding on to security deposits instead of returning them,” D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb stated last year in announcing the $625,000 settlement.
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