Former At-Large Councilmember Michael Brown‘s guilty plea yesterday left behind some questions. For most of them, like the question of who Brown is helping the feds investigate, we’ll have to wait. But it shouldn’t be too hard to find out why investigators used merchandise from local sports teams in their investigation—-right?

Brown’s first bribe, $15,000 in $100 bills, was hidden inside a duffel bag that also contained a Nationals cap and two Nationals shirts, as Brown’s statement of the offense notes. That July 11, 2012, bribe was followed up on Aug. 7, 2012, when an undercover FBI agent at the Channel Inn handed Brown $10,000 rolled up inside a Pigskins-branded mug.

The mention of the Nationals and the Pigskins in what are typically sparse court documents made LL curious, but apparently, the decorations on the T-shirts and mug weren’t part of an investigative technique. “I don’t believe there was any significance to the sports gear,” U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Bill Miller writes in an email.

U.S. Attorney Ron Machen was similarly cryptic at yesterday’s press conference when asked about the significance of the teams’ mention in Brown’s statement. “We were giving you some details,” Machen said. “You guys always want more details.”

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office