Dan Snyder and his wife, Tanya Snyder
Dan Snyder and his wife, Tanya Snyder Credit: Darrow Montgomery/File

Another week, another lawsuit against the Washington Commanders from D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine. Last week, Racine announced a suit against Dan Snyder, his team, the NFL, and Commissioner Roger Goodell for allegedly deceiving D.C. residents and fans about a toxic workplace culture “all in an effort to protect their profits.”

This week, Racine filed yet another lawsuit against the Commanders’ corporate entity, Pro-Football Inc., that accuses the team of failing to return security deposits to season ticket holders. The complaint alleges that the Commanders violated the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act by misrepresenting the requirements for returning ticket holders’ security deposits.

Racine alleges that failure goes back as far as 1996. Although some season ticket holders received their deposits, many are still owed a refund, according to the lawsuit, and the Commanders are still holding on to nearly $200,000 in unreturned deposits. 

Speaking with ESPN’s John Barr this week, Racine said the Commanders sent his office a letter threatening ethics violations if he appeared on the show Outside the Lines. 

“That is the playbook for Mr. Snyder. He likes to intimidate and bully,” Racine said. “It’s not gonna happen with this attorney general because we know our ethics, and we know what’s right and wrong, and there’s no way Dan Snyder can control this lawsuit like he did the NFL’s investigation of him.”

The Commanders have said they hired an outside law firm and forensic auditors to review the team’s accounts for evidence of Racine’s allegations. The reviews “found no evidence that the team intentionally withheld security deposits that should have been returned to customers or that the team improperly converted any unclaimed deposits to revenue.” 

The potential issue with security deposits came to light through the House Committee on Oversight and Reform investigation into Snyder and the Commanders. The committee alerted the Federal Trade Commission along with Racine and his fellow attorneys general in Maryland and Virginia. The Commanders have denied the allegations.

As Racine continues to add to the stack of investigations surrounding Snyder, it appears as if the House committee’s probe will soon come to an end as control of the chamber shifts to Republicans. Kentucky Rep. James Comer, the ranking member, announced that when Republicans take over in January, the investigation into the Commanders will end.

The Congressional investigation started in 2021, after the NFL completed its own investigation into allegations that women who worked for Snyder had been sexually harrassed for decades. The NFL fined the team $10 million but would not release its investigation.

Both Snyder and Goodell have testified before the House committee. Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports that the committee will likely release a report with its findings before the end of the year.

—Mitch Ryals (tips? mryals@washingtoncitypaper.com)

 

  • To see today’s COVID-19 data, visit our coronavirus tracker.
  • Is the Silver Line extension reason enough to be optimistic about Metro’s forecasted revenue? [Post]
  • A passenger died and a driver was injured when their vehicle crashed into the Potomac River on the GW Parkway north of the 14th Street Bridge. [NBC Washington]
  • Metro is testing out two new prototypes for faregates aimed at preventing fare evasion. One might work, the other almost definitely will not. [DCist]
  • The Columbia Heights Metro station is giving off Big Brother vibes with a new screen that shows customers its security camera feed. WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke wants “criminals to know we are watching you, and we will not tolerate any criminal behavior in our system.” [Twitter]

By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Mayor Muriel Bowser’s infrastructure task force has some big ideas about how to spend $3 billion in federal funding courtesy of the hefty spending bill Congress passed last year. The more ambitious ideas include decking over sections of North Capitol Street and bringing Interstate 295 to grade to create a “complete street.” [DCist]
  • Eight veteran staffers at WTOP have taken voluntary buyouts and will leave the prominent radio station at the end of the year. The list includes reporter Kristi King, sports anchor Dave Johnson, and several other on- and off-air workers. [Axios]
  • Journalist and civic leader Lillian Estelle Cooper Wiggins died last month at 92. She covered a variety of beats around D.C. in her time at The Afro newspaper and is widely credited with popularizing the concept of “The Plan,” or the fear that White leaders were executing an elaborate conspiracy to push out Black residents. [Informer]

By Alex Koma (tips? akoma@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • The World Cup—and the opportunity for D.C. bars to serve alcohol 22 hours a day—begins this Sunday. Consult these lists of bars to find your ideal viewing environment. [Eater, Post, Barred in DC]
  • Local breweries are getting in the soccer spirit and making their own World Cup-themed beers. [DC Beer]
  • The USDA is making the increases to fruit and vegetable vouchers that WIC recipients received during the height of the pandemic permanent. [WTOP]

By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)

Maggie Miles, Dina Amer’s New Film, and More Best Bets for Nov. 17–23

This week you can catch musical icons (London Suede, Ani DiFranco), industry up-and-comers (Maggie Miles), […]

  • Today, Spirit of the Dark: Religion in Black Music, Activism, and Popular Culture, opens at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The exhibit, featuring never before seen pieces from the museum’s permanent collection, will be on display for the next year. [Informer]
  • Groundbreaking: The Hirshhorn’s sculpture garden redesign is officially underway. [Post]
  • Getting nerdy with Flying V. [DC Theater Arts]
  • The Wizards’ former Big Three—Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antwan Jamison—are reuniting at tonight’s game against the Miami Heat. [Bullets Forever]
  • The Caps kept it close but lost last night’s game to the St. Louis Blues in a 6-round shootout. [Post, Russian Machine Never Breaks]
  • The University of Maryland’s football attendance is second to last in the Big 10. To increase the number of spectators, they also need to improve their on-field performance. [Post]

By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)

Sign up: To get District Line Daily—or any of our other email newsletters—sent straight to your mailbox, click here. Send tips, ideas, and comments to newsletter@washingtoncitypaper.com.