Commanders Legal Team's Letter To FTC

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April 18, 2022
Via Hand Delivery
The Honorable Lina M. Khan

Chair
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20580
Re: Washington Commanders
Dear Chair Khan:
We respectfully submit this letter on behalf of the Washington Commanders (the “Team”) in response to
the letter sent to you on April 12, 2022 (the “Committee’s Letter”) from Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney
and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform (the “Committee”)
describing alleged financial irregularities in the operation of the Team.
As set forth in more detail below, the Committee’s Letter – which relies solely on the uncorroborated,
false testimony of a single disgruntled former employee – sets forth easily and fully rebuttable allegations.
Had the Committee requested any information from the Team on the issues raised in the Committee’s
letter, the Team could, and would, have provided testimony and documents making clear that the
complained-of conduct did not occur. Based upon all the information provided herein, no investigation is
warranted.
1. The Committee’s Letter Was Submitted Without Asking the Team About the False and
Malicious Allegations it Makes
Although purportedly conducting an “investigation,” the Committee did not request a single document
from the Team; the Committee did not invite a single representative of the Team to address the truth of
the matters contained in the Committee’s Letter; and the Committee did not pose questions to the Team
to answer in writing about its allegations, or provide any mechanism whatsoever for the Team to address
the truth of the allegations.
Had the Committee posed any of these questions or requests to the Team, the Team could – and would –
easily and fully have rebutted each allegation, as the complained-of conduct did not occur, plain and
simple, as demonstrated below. Instead, the Committee took the untested (by cross-examination or
otherwise) word of Jason Friedman – a disgruntled former employee who was not an accountant, was fired
for professional misconduct in October 2020, and proceeded to plead with the Team to get his old job
back until January 2022 – as gospel, and published it, with embellishment, without giving the Team any
chance to address his allegations.
ABU DHABI  ATHENS  AUSTIN  BEIJING  BRUSSELS  CENTURY CITY  CHICAGO  DALLAS  DUBAI  FRANKFURT  HONG KONG
HOUSTON  KAZAKHSTAN  LONDON  LOS ANGELES  MIAMI  MUNICH  NEW YORK  PARIS  PHILADELPHIA  PITTSBURGH  PRINCETON
RICHMOND  SAN FRANCISCO  SHANGHAI  SILICON VALLEY  SINGAPORE  TYSONS  WASHINGTON, D.C.  WILMINGTON
April 18, 2022
Page 2
The Committee’s Letter is also remarkable for what it omits – any testimony by the accounting
professionals that have overseen the Team’s accounting. As noted, the Committee not only declined to
invite a single current representative of the Team to address Friedman’s baseless allegations, it also has
failed to find a single knowledgeable witness to support any of Friedman’s allegations of financial
misconduct.1 Indeed, the Team is aware of at least one former Team executive, several steps in the
hierarchy above Friedman, who was formally deposed by the Committee and denied any knowledge of
the financial irregularities posited by Friedman. This testimony was, of course, omitted from the Letter.
The Committee’s minority summarized the current state of affairs well: “The leak of one-sided,
unconfirmed, unsupported allegations from a disgruntled ex-employee with an ax to grind is just further
proof the Democrats’ investigation is a waste of Congress’ 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.”2
2. Friedman’s and The Committee’s Allegations Against the Team are Baseless
As described in detail below, all of the areas of Team operations implicated by Friedman’s uninformed
speculation have been subject to regular and thorough audits by independent and respected auditors,
including annually by the Team’s independent outside audit firm, and periodically also by the NFL’s
outside auditors. In one instance, the supposed financial irregularity raised by Friedman was audited by
Virginia state authorities. In all cases, the auditors or government investigators found no material issue
with respect to the Team’s finances. Notably, the Committee did not request, or review, any of these
audits.
We are confident that, had this referral not come from a Congressional Committee, the FTC would
exercise its discretion to decline to open an investigation based on the uncorroborated and implausible
allegations of a single disgruntled former employee, especially one with such notable impairments to his
credibility as set forth below. We respectfully suggest that the FTC should not be influenced by the patina
of credibility created by a Congressional referral when the actual investigation pursued by the Committee
in question was conducted in such a one-sided, deficient, and partisan fashion. That said, we will address
the specific allegations made by Friedman below, and would be happy to answer any follow-up questions
you may have related to these matters. As shown below, the Committee’s accusations are without any
sound basis and there is no basis for an investigation.
1
Former team employee Rachel Engleson supplied a letter to the Committee, the metadata of which show the author to be an
associate lawyer at Katz Marshall & Banks (“KMB”), the firm representing Friedman. Ms. Engleson, another non-accountant,
was in even less of a position than Friedman to know of the Team’s professional financial practices. The most she can do in
tepid support of Friedman’s allegations is to say, without any evidentiary support, “it was known and/or rumored in the office
that there was ‘moving around’ of money regarding tickets.” She claims to have discussed this matter with Beth Wilkinson,
who was conducting an investigations on behalf of the NFL, and thus any evidence (over and above the “rumors” upon which
she bases her letter) would have been investigated by the NFL at that time, but any such evidence appears nowhere in the Letter.
2
Mike Florio, “Report: 24-year Washington Commanders Employee Testified to Congress about Alleged Financial
Improprieties,” NBC Sports: Pro Football Talk (Apr. 4, 2022), bit.ly/3JGUs7B.
April 18, 2022
Page 3
2.1. Former Team Employees With Actual Knowledge of and Responsibility in Relevant Areas
Fully Refute Friedman’s Allegations
The Team stands fully behind the statement it released when the Friedman allegations were first leaked:
“The team categorically denies any suggestion of financial impropriety of any kind at any time. We adhere
to strict internal processes that are consistent with industry and accounting standards, are audited annually
by a globally respected independent auditing firm, and are also subject to regular audits by the NFL.”3
Unlike the Committee, the Team has sought information from those in a position to know the facts.
Unanimously, the individuals in the best position to know – that is, individuals who actually had
responsibility for the finances of the Team (all of whom, like Friedman, are former employees of the
Team) – reject Friedman’s uncorroborated account in declarations attached to this letter. The Team’s
former General Counsel, David Donovan, had an admirable legal career at one of the finest law firms in
the United States. He has a strong reputation for professionalism and has been recognized repeatedly for
his legal excellence. His bottom line? “Mr. Friedman is untrustworthy and . . . his assertions about the
ticket broker matter and Team finances are untrue.”4
The Team’s former Chief Operating Officer, Mitch Gershman, also clearly refutes the allegations. He
describes Friedman’s testimony as showing a “willingness to fabricate facts” and containing “numerous
false and speculative allegations.”5 Friedman’s testimony contains “false and reckless allegations,” and
his allegations against Gershman are “factually wrong, based on pure speculation, or lack personal
knowledge, or all three.”6
The Team’s former Director of Finance, Paul Szczenski, describes Friedman’s statements as “false,
speculative, uninformed, and guesswork”7 and states that Friedman “has attempted to fabricate claims
about the Team’s accounting staff[.]”8
2.2. Each of Friedman’s and the Committee’s Specific Allegations is False
The Committee’s Letter discusses three different issues, concerning ticket sales, ticket revenue, and
security deposits. In each case, the allegations are false and warrant complete rejection by the FTC.
2.2.1. Ticket Sales
The Committee’s Letter falsely alleges, courtesy of Friedman, that the Team, and specifically Mr.
Donovan, made Friedman the fall guy for a strategy of selling general-admission tickets to brokers in 2009
while directing fans toward more costly seating. The Committee’s referral of these allegations to the FTC
13 years after the fact is baffling since there was then and is now nothing illegal or against NFL policy
about selling tickets to brokers. The NFL explicitly stated so in a 2009 memo to teams. While permissible
3
Brian McNally, “Commanders Deny Alleged Financial Impropriety Raised in Report,” NBC Sports (Mar. 31, 2022),
bit.ly/3KHMGvr.
4
Declaration of David P. Donovan (“Donovan Decl.”) ¶ 68, attached as Ex. 1.
5
Declaration of Mitchell Gershman (“Gershman Decl.”) ¶ 10, attached as Ex. 2.
6
Gershman Decl. ¶ 36.
7
Declaration of Paul Szczenski (“Szczenski Decl.”) ¶ 3, attached as Ex. 3.
8
Szczenski Decl. ¶ 30.
April 18, 2022
Page 4
by law and under NFL rules, the Team did not approve of Friedman’s practice of sales to brokers: “none
of those contracts [entered into by Friedman] was ever approved by either the Finance or the Legal
Department.”9 Yet, according to Mr. Donovan, Mr. Friedman went to great lengths to conceal his scheme:
“As part of his subterfuge, Mr. Friedman used a rubber stamp of Mr. Gershman’s signature to ‘sign’ the
contracts. Doing so helped Mr. Friedman keep the agreements secret, since he otherwise would have
needed to send the contracts from FedEx Field in Maryland (where Mr. Friedman worked) to Ashburn,
Virginia, where the offices of Mr. Gershman and all members of the Finance and Legal Departments were
located, in order to obtain his supervisor’s signature.”10
Mr. Donovan was clear at the time in 2009 and remains clear today. “As Mr. Friedman was well aware,
none of those contracts was ever approved by either the Finance or the Legal Department.”11 When Mr.
Donovan eventually discovered the contracts during an internal review, he took action. “Under direct
instructions from Mr. Snyder, I terminated some of the contracts for which I was able to identify a legal
basis to do so, negotiated buy-outs from the ticket brokers who were willing to negotiate termination of
the contracts, and negotiated amendments to the others to limit their duration or the number of tickets
involved, all at a very substantial expense to the Team.”12 And this was Friedman’s rogue activity:
“Obviously, if Mr. Snyder had known of or approved the entry into these contracts – none of which were
publically known at that time – there would have been no imaginable reason for him to have directed me
to negotiate terminations or modifications of the contracts at the expense of many tens of thousands of
dollars to the Team.”13
Mr. Gershman corroborates Mr. Donovan’s account on this key point: “When [Mr. Snyder] was informed,
he was not happy. He directed me and other senior executives to cancel the contracts immediately, and
we spent months negotiating with brokers to undo the deals insofar as we could. It would have made no
sense for Mr. Snyder to have directed these broker sales only to turn around and cancel them later, with
substantial financial cost to the Team and a months-long major legal and administrative headache.”14
2.2.2. Ticket Revenue
The Committee also alleges, based on information from Friedman, that the Team concealed ticket sales
revenue that should have been shared with the NFL. In none of his other malicious and ill-informed
allegations does Friedman venture further outside his lane than he does here. Friedman is a ticket
salesman, not an accountant. There is a complicated process by which Team revenue is categorized and
attributed to revenue streams subject to NFL revenue sharing. The Team invests substantial accounting
9
Donovan Decl. ¶ 43.
10
Id.
11
Id.
12
Id. at ¶ 46.
13
Id. at ¶ 48. Donovan explains that “As a consequence of these events, I lost all confidence in Mr. Friedman’s honesty,
integrity and veracity. My recommendation to Mr. Snyder and Mr. Gershman was that Mr. Friedman be fired. I recall
clearly that Mr. Gershman was concerned that Mr. Friedman – who had been employed in the Ticket Office since Mr. Cooke
owned the Team and who appeared to have had an unusual emotional attachment to the Team – would have great difficulty
finding employment elsewhere, and that Mr. Gershman and Mr. Snyder were concerned about Mr. Friedman’s mental state if
he were to be fired. I may have been (but do not recall being) aware of the letter Mr. Friedman says he wrote to Mr. Snyder
accepting full responsibility for these unauthorized contracts, but if he submitted such a letter, perhaps Mr. Snyder took that
into account in determining not to fire Mr. Friedman at that time.” Id. at ¶ 53.
14
April 18, 2022
Page 5
resources to make sure this process is done correctly. Not surprisingly, the NFL is also interested in
making sure the process is done right. Both the Team and the NFL regularly audit the Team’s finances to
ensure that the process is accurate. But the Committee took no steps to hear from either the Team’s
auditors or from anyone who had actual accounting responsibilities at the Team.
Those employees are heard here. They make clear that Friedman’s allegations are unfounded and baseless.
But just as importantly, they explain that Friedman did not have duties or training by which it would even
be possible for him to develop a valid opinion about the Team’s accounting practices. None of these
individuals, who had actual knowledge and training regarding the accounting practices of the Team, was
invited to testify before the Committee.
As stated by Mr. Gershman, “I find [Friedman’s] claim on this issue highly dubious. Mr. Friedman had
no visibility into how our revenue was presented to the NFL, did not work in Ashburn [Virginia] where
the accounting and financial staff were located,15 had no training as an accountant or financial
professional, and had less experience than me working with our CFO and other financial officers.”16
Mr. Donovan agrees: “I am not aware of any instance in which [the CFOs] (or their staffs) even
considered, much less engaged in, any improper application of team revenues … [The CFOs] were all
capable, experienced, well-trained and honest individuals, and I would be shocked if any of them had ever
engaged in any sort of financial misconduct or fraud ….”17
Mr. Szczenski explains many of the problems with Friedman’s account – problems the Committee could
have easily uncovered. The first clue that something was amiss should have been the fact that Friedman
“had virtually no visibility into the Team’s accounting function. He was not present at meetings of the
accounting team or included in [their] communications except in very limited circumstances when it
involved his department.”18 Even if he had access to the relevant information, Mr. Friedman was also
unequipped to understand the accounting function: “He is not fully versed on the NFL’s revenue reporting
rules and regulations, he is not familiar with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), and he
has had no training to understand accounting principles or audit processes. Friedman has no understanding
of how the Team recognized revenue into the Team’s general ledger, following GAAP and industry
standard accounting practices.”19 Thus his claims “extend beyond his personal knowledge and
professional expertise” and his allegations “that the Team’s accounting department engaged in any
unethical conduct or misleading representations about the Team’s finances are unequivocally false.”20
Accounting duties were instead filled by Mr. Szczenski and other Team accounting professionals, along
with outside auditors, first from Ernst & Young, and then later from BDO.
Thus, the Committee was reckless to rely on Friedman’s allegation that the Team had “two sets of books.”
Mr. Szczenski is clear: “I can state unequivocally that I never helped maintain, or saw anyone else
15
Friedman worked at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, some 45 miles from Ashburn.
16
17
18
19
Id.
20
Id.
April 18, 2022
Page 6
maintain, a ‘second set’ of books.”21 And as the Team’s Director of Finance for over eight years, Mr.
Szczenski – unlike Friedman – was in a position to know.
The Committee likewise should not have relied on Friedman’s statements about when the purported
revenue-shielding scheme occurred. Friedman stated in his interview that the practice happened
“primarily from 2010 to 2015, right in there.”22 But at this time the Team had a waiver from the NFL that
limited revenue sharing. Friedman scrambled to cover this error in a post hoc letter to the Committee,
stating that “[t]he waiver expired in 2013 … and ALL club seat revenue became subject to league revenue
sharing rules.”23 But unbeknownst to Friedman – but known to those in the Team’s accounting and finance
department – the Team in fact obtained from the NFL an additional $27 million revenue-sharing waiver
for club-seat revenue and certain other sales in relation to projects that were approved in 2013 and finished
in 2015. If Friedman had been in the Team’s accounting department, he would have known this. He was
not, and his representations to the Committee are not only false, but underscore that Friedman is making
claims that extend well beyond his personal knowledge or professional expertise.
Friedman’s allegations are undercut further by the fact that the Team was subject to routine and random
audits by highly qualified professionals from respected accounting firms. A simplistic scheme to divert
revenue, such as the one described by Friedman, would have been easily detected. As Mr. Donovan
explains: “The Team functions under rigorous internal and external financial controls, including annual
audits by outside independent auditors engaged by the Team, as well as independent auditors engaged by
the NFL.”24 Mr. Szczenski agrees: “[T]he Team’s accounting of its revenue was routinely and
independently audited by BDO, a large international accounting firm. The NFL internal audit team also
audited the Team’s books in select years. There was never, to my knowledge, any misreporting of visiting
team share of revenue, and I have not seen any evidence that the auditors ‘missed’ anything, let alone
hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in ticket sales.”25 Indeed, “[t]he NFL internal audit process
is designed explicitly to ensure the Team is abiding by NFL rules, procedures, and guidelines, particularly
regarding revenue reporting and sharing,” and those audits were, as one would expect, “very lengthy,
detailed, and thorough.”26
Nor would the Team have avoided detection by failing to adjust their ticket manifests for higher prices.
Mr. Szczenski explains further: “[A]ll single-game prices were reflected appropriately in the Team
manifests, including discounted prices and above face value single game price points . . . [that] were
subject to review and approval by NFL Club Finance. At no time did the Team attempt to manipulate
ticket manifests to deprive the NFL of revenue to which it was entitled.”27
Once again, Friedman attempted to counter the facts through his post hoc letter, where he baselessly
speculated about the data that the NFL’s auditors would review and the questions they would ask, so that
the purported scheme would somehow remain hidden. The post hoc letter betrays gross ignorance of how
21
Id. at ¶ 16.
22
Committee on Oversight and Reform, Transcribed Interview of Jason Friedman (Mar. 14, 2022).
23
Letter from Jason Friedman to Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Committee on Oversight and Reform at 1 (Apr. 8, 2022)
(“Friedman Letter”).
24
25
26
Id. at ¶ 19 (emphasis added).
27
Id. at ¶ 18.
April 18, 2022
Page 7
audits work and the professional standards governing auditors. He first describes “item sets,” like “concert
tickets,” “college football tickets,” and “Redskins tickets.”28 He then speculates that NFL auditors would
only look at Redskins tickets: “Likely, an auditor from the NFL would begin his/her audit by extracting
only the information related to 2014 Redskins Tickets. He or she likely would not explore the other item
sets / categories. Therefore, revenue processed in the database under the 2014 College Football item set
(instead of 2014 Redskins Tickets,) would not be picked up in an audit of 2014 Redskins Tickets.”29
Friedman’s musings are, once again, wrong and misleading. As Mr. Donovan explains, the NFL’s auditors
“had access to all internal Team books and records, as well as all of the contracts entered into, including
those between the Team and its vendors, sponsors, marketing partners, employees, customers, joint
venturers, and event planners.”30 Mr. Szczenski confirms the point: “there were no categories of events
that were ‘excluded’ from external audits; concerts, college football games, and soccer matches were all
part of the Team’s audited financial statements, and all could be subjected to scrutiny by the auditors.”31
Those statements are supported by the Team’s auditor, BDO, in its reports to the Team, the NFL, and the
NFL Players Association. For instance, in 2014, the auditor’s Stated Procedures include the requirement
to “[o]btain a listing of revenue received by the Club from events other than football (i.e., concerts, soccer
games, college football games, etc.) for the 2014 League Year.” That same requirement is found in every
audit from 2009 to the most recent audit in 2021.32
Indeed, the supposedly damning examples cited by Friedman – that revenue attributable to NFL games
was processed as relating to a Kenny Chesney concert and a Navy-Notre Dame college football game to
avoid NFL revenue sharing – were known and analyzed by the Team’s auditors. Team financial
documents (which will be provided to the Commission upon assurances of confidentiality) show that the
Team supplied to BDO auditors the revenue schedules for the Kenny Chesney concert and the Navy-Notre
Dame game as part of the Team’s fiscal year 2014 and 2015 audits. In other words, the very transactions
reflected in the documents provided by Friedman, and uncritically relied upon by the Committee in their
referral letter, can be proven to be specific transactions actually reviewed by the auditors. Friedman’s
naïve speculations as to how the auditors may have gone about their job are revealed for what they are:
the uninformed conjecture of a vindictive former ticket salesman.
The Team’s auditors, unsurprisingly, did not find anything amiss with the revenue generated by the Navy-
Notre Dame game, and the Kenny Chesney concert, because the Team booked the revenue for each event
appropriately. Friedman – and thus the Committee – nevertheless claim that they found something the
Team’s auditors missed: a 2014 email exchange that began on May 6, 2014 between Friedman and Mr.
Stephen Choi, the Team’s then-Chief Accounting Officer, purporting to show a “plan to process a portion
of the revenue from Commanders game tickets as bogus licensing fees related to a Navy-Notre Dame
college football game at FedEx Field.”33
28
Friedman Letter at 4.
29
Id.
30
Donovan Decl. ¶ 33 (emphasis added).
31
32
The Team would be pleased to provide the underlying accounting documents to the FTC for in camera review upon
request and assurances of confidentiality.
33
See Committee’s Letter at 11-12.
April 18, 2022
Page 8
However, what the Committee did not know (because it never asked) is that after Mr. Choi received
Friedman’s May 6, 2014 email, he forwarded it to his team of accounting professionals (dropping
Friedman, who was not an accountant, from the chain) and the accounting professionals subsequently
confirmed that the Navy-Notre Dame license fee had been properly placed in an account known as
“14RedRev” – that is, 2014 Redskins Revenue:
(emphasis added). The partial email chain that Friedman was included on (from May 6, 2014) was
presented as the “final word” by Friedman to the Committee. But in fact the final accounting decision
happened – as it always did – outside the presence of Friedman. He was not on the later emails, and thus
the information he presented – and the Committee relied upon – was incomplete and incorrect in accusing
the Team of hiding $162,360 of Redskins revenue from the NFL.
April 18, 2022
Page 9
It did not happen, and the Team’s records confirm that the Navy-Notre Dame license revenue was
appropriately accounted for as Redskins ticket revenue, which is what is used for reporting to, and revenue
sharing with, the NFL. This example underscores the danger of accepting a pre-determined narrative
without asking for the facts from the relevant personnel, as has happened repeatedly with Friedman’s
allegations.
Finally, Friedman is also wrong about the term “juice.” “Juice” did not refer to revenue hidden from the
NFL; it was a slang term at the Team to refer to an upside in revenue. In particular, the term was used
widely within the organization to refer to, among other things, the revenue sharing component of the
Team’s contracts with brokers; if a broker sold a ticket for above face value, the Team and broker would
split the profits according to an agreed-upon percentage, which was referred to as the “juice.” That
revenue had a slang term associated with it in no way means it was hidden or misreported. Friedman’s
speculation is, again, unfounded.
The conclusion is obvious. Friedman’s statements “are pure speculation, as he had no insight into how the
financial data was processed, how that financial information was used during any audit, and how that
financial information was evaluated by auditors…. He had no visibility whatsoever into how any of the
raw data or customer contract information he provided fit into the larger audit process, and certainly not
how that would fit into the larger financial statements and detail provided by the Team.”34 Or as put more
directly by Mr. Donovan, “The notion that Mr. Friedman, of all people, would have been privy to
misreporting of revenue for all these years, unbeknownst to the professionals in the Finance Department
and auditors for the Team and the League, is, in my view, preposterous.”35
2.2.3. Security Deposits
The Committee’s last allegation – again courtesy of Friedman – is that the Team failed to return security
deposits to their owners and converted them into non-shareable revenue. This too is false.
Even according to the Committee, “The Commanders’ practice of collecting deposits for most categories
of seats ended approximately one year after Mr. Snyder acquired the team from Mr. [Jack] Cooke in
1999.”36 If collecting revenue from security deposits from these seats was so lucrative, then why did the
Team’s new ownership stop requiring them?
Friedman and the Committee ignore how the Team gains no benefit from having large amounts of security
deposits on the books. Mr. Szczenski explains that “security deposits are not recorded as an asset. They
are a liability, and the Team cannot do anything with the funds except refund it when possible or convert
it to revenue in case of a default.”37
To be clear, that is how security deposits were in fact handled. The Team does not and did not convert
security deposits into revenue. “[T]he only deposits ever converted to revenue were those where the
customer defaulted on their contract[,]” states Mr. Szczenski.38 Over the last ten years, the total amount
34
35
36
Committee’s Letter at 7.
37
38
Id. at. ¶ 24.
April 18, 2022
Page 10
of security deposits applied to revenue – all due to defaults – is just over $200,000, an immaterial amount
in comparison to the Team’s overall income. (Similarly, the Team did not hide any revenue from the NFL
when recognizing revenue from defaulted deposits. It handled the revenue in line with proper and regular
accounting practices.)
Mr. Gershman notes that it was perfectly proper for the Team to take as revenue security deposits when
customers defaulted. “That is the whole point of the security deposit,” he states.39 “If the customer
defaults, the security deposit compensates the Team for the lost opportunity and the need to re-sell the
tickets, which takes significant time and effort. The customer contractually agrees to that arrangement,
and the Team is entitled to the security deposit if the customer defaults.”40 The Team recognized revenue
in those instances and in accordance with guidance from its financial professionals. As Mr. Donovan
states: “If, as Mr. Friedman asserts, all of these deposits concerning Club Seats were collected in or before
the year 2000, he must have been aware of the alleged improper withholding of these deposits prior to
2011, when I left the Team. If Mr. Friedman was aware for more than a decade of such allegedly improper
withholding of security deposits on Club Seats collected in or before 2000, I would have expected that he
would have brought that to my attention before I left the Team in 2011, and he never did so. Perhaps the
Committee might have asked why not.”41
In any event, Friedman’s testimony to the Committee was a lie from the beginning. According to
Friedman, it was Mr. Gershman who directed Friedman to “get us 100 grand in juice out of the security
deposits.”42 But the opposite is true: Friedman himself – and not Mr. Gershman – proposed taking
$100,000 in customers’ security deposits. On September 12, 2013, Friedman told Mr. Gershman that he
found $100,000 in security deposits that he thought “we can keep.”43 Mere hours later, Friedman again
asked Gershman:44
39
40
Id.
41
42
Committee’s Letter at 8 (citing Committee on Oversight and Reform, Transcribed Interview of Jason Friedman (Mar. 14,
2022)).
43
Email chain dated September 12, 2013, attached as Ex. 4.
44
Email chain dated September 12, 2013, attached as Ex. 5 (emphasis added).
April 18, 2022
Page 11
Friedman’s testimony to the Committee is, once again, false.
With that said, there was one person seeking to convert security deposits into revenue: Jason Friedman.
In one 2013 email, Friedman wrote to Mr. Gershman, “As I review these, what should I do if I come across
a suite security deposit that I think we can keep? Should I alert Dennis? Stephen? For instance, I doubt
either of them know we have a … deposit from [a certain defunct company, a former felon, and a deceased
person.]”45 Mr. Gershman forwarded the email to Mr. Choi. Mr. Choi responded to Friedman and Mr.
Gershman: “No. I can discuss.”46
The accounting team took other steps to protect deposits. In another 2013 email, Mr. Gershman sought
Mr. Choi’s guidance on handling defaulted security deposits, asking “Don’t we need some additional info
to validate[?] Year they went bad, date item sold onto account. [H]elp[.]”47 Friedman was not copied on
the email and thus would not know that the deposits were being handled appropriately. And in a 2015
email, Friedman identified four defaulting accounts. Mr. Choi instructed the team, “Let’s clearly
document the default in the JE [journal entry] support. Thanks.”48 Mr. Szczenski concurs: when deposits
were converted to revenue after a default, “Stephen Choi[] asked accounting and ticket office staff to
clearly document the reason for the default in our journalizing of the revenue ….”49
Friedman and the Committee also allege that the Team obstructed the return of security deposits by
creating “artificial barriers to discourage customers from requesting the return of their deposits….”50 This
is incorrect. Again, the Team does not benefit from retaining liabilities like security deposits on its books.
The Committee parrots Friedman’s allegation that the Team would not accept refund requests by email,
stating that Friedman said customers “needed to call” to obtain refunds, and that they were then directed
“to send us a letter.” This is false. Mr. Szczenski notes that this was “the province of the ticketing sales
team that Mr. Friedman supervised[,]” but that in his experience, “customers who requested refunds were
issued refunds and, to my knowledge, no one from the finance team directed anyone on the sales team to
make it more difficult for customers to receive refunds on their security deposits.”51
Further, Team documents contradict Friedman’s claim. A Team letter from February 24, 2014 notifying
customers of a refund states, “You may return this letter by mail … or by e-mail at
[email protected]:”52
45
Ex. 4.
46
Id.
47
Email dated Sept. 17, 2013, attached as Ex. 6.
48
Email chain dated Jan. 14, 2015, attached as Ex. 7.
49
50
51
Szczenski Decl. ¶ at 29.
52
Ex. 8 (emphasis added).
April 18, 2022
Page 12
Thus, the Team did not require a customer to call, and then write a letter, as Friedman falsely alleges. It
is true that the Team required at least that level of confirmation via email. But that was an entirely
appropriate practice to address the fact that addresses could be years out of date.
The Team did not hide security deposits. In fact, the existence of a customer’s security deposit could be
a selling point when a season ticket expired and was up for potential renewal. Sometimes customers
would opt for applying their security deposit to the cost of a new season ticket package. That would not
happen without the Team telling the customer about the deposit and that option.
Finally, the Team’s unclaimed property, including security deposits, have been audited by the government
within the last decade. It was reviewed in 2014 by the Unclaimed Property Division of Virginia’s
Department of the Treasury. From Team documents regarding the review, the Virginia Treasury
Department had full visibility into the amount, age and nature of all the Team’s security deposits. The
Department did not refer the Team to any government agency for further action. Rather, the upshot of the
Department’s months-long review was to demand $7,330.15 in unclaimed funds be remitted to the
Commonwealth as abandoned property.
Tellingly, the Committee admits that Friedman’s “evidence” does not show “why these deposits were
unreturned as of 2016 or whether each of these customers was entitled to a refund.”53 But instead of
simply asking the Team about the security deposits, the Committee rushed to a baseless allegation of
wrongdoing. If the Committee had afforded the Team the courtesy of a response, the Team would have
shown the Committee evidence that, in 2014, the Team reached out to every customer who had been
inactive since 2010 whose security deposit was eligible for refund. This was not a massive universe – it
was a little over 1500 accounts. The Team’s effort was successful. In 2014 alone, the Team was able to
53
April 18, 2022
Page 13
refund just under 750 of those dormant accounts. Over time the Team reduced its security deposit
liabilities by over $2 million. Again showing that Friedman does not know of what he speaks, this
outreach was not limited to a “single jurisdiction” in “one of the team’s three local jurisdictions.”54 Rather,
an outreach letter went to deposit-holders, including NFL-affiliated deposit-holders, in 26 separate states,
plus the District of Columbia, and even the U.S. Virgin Islands.
3. Jason Friedman Has Demonstrated Himself to be Wholly Unreliable and Motivated to Damage
the Team and its Personnel, Yet the Committee Credits His Assertions Without Any Effort to
Test or Corroborate Them
Friedman is, by his own repeated admissions to the Committee, a serial liar. During the course of his
testimony to the Committee, Friedman admitted to having previously perjured himself in a civil litigation
connected with his employment with the Team. He also admitted that he sent at least two letters to Dan
Snyder, the content of which Friedman now claims he fabricated out of whole cloth. Yet Friedman now
asks the Committee – and by extension, this Commission – to accept as true his testimony and his letters
to the Committee, the very types of arenas in which he already has admitted to freely lying on a whim.
Further, and as discussed below, the Team fired Friedman in 2020 for engaging in intimidating and abusive
behavior – the very conduct that the Committee claimed to be investigating. Following the termination
of his employment, Friedman embarked on a campaign to get his job back, sending multiple fawning
emails to Team executives. The Team recently learned that, in addition to the abusive behavior for which
he was fired, Friedman had been involved in a lengthy sexual relationship with his former intern (“Jane
Doe”), 15 years his junior, who later became a part-time employee at the Team, still reporting to Friedman.
In yet another example of Friedman’s disregard for the truth, Friedman took steps to conceal that on-going
relationship from Team officials, the National Football League and other organizations. The Committee
was aware of all of these facts, yet pointedly declined to reference them in its letter to you.
The Committee’s allegations are false, as described above. And the Committee was on notice that its
source of information was unreliable. Yet it ignored those red flags, and now delivers that same tainted
information to you without disclosing the risks and defects. We think it is important that you have full
disclosure, and to present to you the problems with Jason Friedman that the Committee knows yet
apparently has chosen not to disclose to you.
3.1. Friedman Provided False Testimony to the Committee on a Host of Tangential Issues
Friedman lied to the Committee on issues big and small.
For example, Friedman told the Committee last month that he lied under oath during a 2009 deposition in
an employee overtime case after Mr. Gershman and Mr. Donovan allegedly told him to do so during a
meeting to prepare for that 2009 deposition. However, Friedman testified during his actual deposition in
2009 that he did not meet with Mr. Gershman to prepare for his deposition.
Moreover, Mr. Donovan, a well-respected attorney with decades of experience and an unblemished record,
adamantly denies these accusations. As Mr. Donovan states: “I did not ever suggest that Mr. Friedman
54
See id. at 6.
April 18, 2022
Page 14
lie or give false testimony in any proceeding, much less advise him to do so. To the contrary, I am certain
based on the practice I routinely followed, without exception, in preparing witnesses for deposition that I
told Mr. Friedman prior to his deposition to tell the truth, and I am not aware of any respect in which he
did not do so.”55 Indeed, as Mr. Donovan recounts, “the Team was represented in the matter by outside
counsel from a major Washington, D.C. law firm, who was actively involved in preparing Mr. Friedman
to testify, and who not only attended his deposition but defended it. I have no basis to believe that outside
counsel was aware of any respect in which Mr. Friedman did not testify truthfully, or that outside counsel
would have tolerated any false testimony by Mr. Friedman without immediately taking steps to correct
the record.”56 Mr. Gershman also adamantly denies these allegations:
I unequivocally deny Mr. Friedman’s account about Mr. Donovan’s

meeting with us and his claim that Mr. Donovan instructed us to lie under
oath in a deposition. The allegation is false and ludicrous. I worked with
Mr. Donovan almost daily for his entire six years with the Team. He is a
professional of the highest caliber and a person of utmost integrity. He was
trusted with many of the most sensitive, difficult, and high-stakes issues for
the Team, and he gave sound advice and judgment on every problem put
before him. I worked with him on other litigation for the Team, and never
once did I ever hear him even hint that I or anyone else should not tell the
truth in a deposition or in testimony. Mr. Friedman’s allegation that I
thanked him for his alleged perjury after the deposition is yet another
untruthful statement.57
Friedman is willing to lie not only about material matters, but insignificant facts as well, in order to inflate
his supposed importance and thereby bolster his false narrative. To dupe the Committee into believing
that Friedman was “in the room where it happened,” Friedman claims that he gave Dan Snyder his first
tour of FedEx Field, the Team’s stadium, after he bought the Team. Yet, as explained by Michael Dillow
– who spent well over a decade as a Senior Vice President of the Team – Mr. Dillow, and not Friedman,
“gave Mr. Snyder his first two tours of FedExField [sic].”58
This conduct by Friedman is, unfortunately, not surprising as it represents nothing more than the latest
step in a carefully orchestrated campaign against the Team that first became apparent with the use of a
“burner phone” in the Summer of 2020 by a then-client of the KMB law firm to act as a conduit in passing
on false and disparaging information about the Team and its principal owner, Dan Snyder, and continues
to this day through now-KMB client Friedman’s fabrications. Simply put, for all of the foregoing reasons,
Friedman cannot be believed on any subject – much less all of those directly contradicted herein, and in
the attached sworn declarations by those with actual knowledge.
55
Donovan Decl. at ¶ 63.
56
Donovan Decl. at ¶ 61.
57
Gershman Decl. at ¶ 27.
58
Declaration of Michael Dillow at ¶ 5, attached as Ex. 9.
April 18, 2022
Page 15
3.2. Friedman Verbally Abused His Staff and Had a Hidden Sexual Relationship With His
Subordinate
Friedman was fired for professional misconduct in October 2020 by Jason Wright, the Team’s President.
He was fired for engaging in violation of the Team’s Conduct and Fraternization Policy.
Friedman repeatedly berated his staff, including minority women. His staff stated he was “dismissive”
and “heavy handed and abrasive,” “yells and curses,” “threatened to terminate an employee for taking
PTO,” and “created a culture of fear.” By his own admission he had a reputation for saying “really, really
crude” things in the workplace.
For example, Friedman referred to someone in a work email as a “[f]ucking Korean nut job.”59 He wrote
emails to Team employees about engaging in sex acts with “sluts.”60 He admitted to using the word “f**k”
“about 500 times a day.” This use included his allegedly common refrain to “make love to the customer,
not f**k the customer.” And by “make love,” he apparently meant, according to one employee’s reported
allegation, to engage in certain graphic sex acts to “make a sale.”
During his employment with the Team, Friedman engaged in a secret sexual relationship with Jane Doe,
who was 15 years his junior and who directly reported to him. He exchanged sexually explicit emails and
photographs with Doe (who later became a part-time employee at the Team, still reporting to him) on their
Team email accounts, and sometimes forwarded those photos to himself, also on his Team email account.
Specifically, Friedman was photographed in a sexually provocative position with Doe while wearing
Team credentials in a restroom in a suite at FedEx Field. Also, Doe sent Friedman a sexually suggestive
photograph of herself, which Friedman sent himself from his Team email account. Friedman took steps
to conceal his impermissible sexual relationship, including discussing purchasing privacy screens for their
phones to hide their text messages from other employees. He even lied to his own mother in an email sent
from his Team email account that Doe, with whom he was having a sexual relationship, “works at the
stadium but not in my department.”61 Evidence of this inappropriate relationship was provided to the
Committee, but not referenced in the Letter.
Friedman can thus hardly be heard to be the voice of truth upon which a Commission investigation is to
be based.
4. Friedman’s Testimony to the Committee Cannot be Reconciled With His Lengthy Campaign to
Get His Job Back and Effusive Praise for Dan Snyder – at Least Not as Anything but the
Retaliatory Efforts of a Jilted Employee That Was Dismissed for Professional Misconduct
Shortly after the Team terminated Friedman, Friedman sent an effusive letter to Dan Snyder, stating,
among other things, “I know our direct interactions were limited[,]” “I will never forget your kindness[,]”
“this garbage in the newspaper is bothersome. The article was a hit job[,]” and “Regarding my loyalty to
you, my termination changes nothing. . . . I am eternally loyal to you.”62
59
Email dated June 1, 2020, attached as Ex. 10.
60
See Emails dated September 6, 2012 and January 9, 2014, attached as Ex. 11-12.
61
The Team would be pleased to provide these emails to the FTC for in camera review upon request and assurances of
confidentiality.
62
Letter from Jason Friedman dated November 9, 2020, attached as Ex. 13.
April 18, 2022
Page 16
Consistent with these statements of complete support for Dan Snyder and the Team, Friedman spent well
over a year after his termination sending unsolicited texts and emails to Team leaders and Snyder family
employees – including Team president Jason Wright, Human Resources manager Hillary Fox, the CFO
of the Snyder family office, and an assistant to Tanya Snyder – expressly asking to be rehired. He
contacted the Team nearly twenty times between October 2020 and January 2022, receiving exactly one
response: a polite but clear denial of his request for his old job back by Jason Wright: 63
The tone of his requests is impossible to reconcile with Friedman’s current criticisms of the Team and its
leadership; messages included:
 “Not being on the team has pretty much reduced me to nothing. I’d do anything to be
back on the team”;
 “I’d give my left arm to be back on the team and I’m left handed”;
 “I sure miss the team. I miss the fans. I miss my teammates . . . I’ve had a year to reflect
on my past shortcomings. I’ve learned, and I am remorseful for these shortcomings. If
you welcomed me, I’d be back there to help at a moments [sic] notice”;
63
Email chain dated October 7, 2021, attached as Ex. 14.
April 18, 2022
Page 17
 “I can do more than just tickets. I know you have plenty of ticket people now. Honestly I
was born to be with that team. I’m bupkis64 now. Please pass along my best to Mr.
Snyder as well. I love that man”;
 “Please let Mr. Snyder know that I am ready at a moments [sic] notice to help and serve
in any way possible”; and
 “Please tell Mr. and Mrs. Snyder how much I appreciate them and how much I miss my
job.” 65
Needless to say, if the Team was engaged in the financial misconduct alleged by Friedman, why would
he petition for 15 months to rejoin such an organization? Further, the timing of Friedman’s petitions
speaks volumes. Friedman’s last request to be rehired was a January 4, 2022 email to Mr. Wright, which
he ended with “Let me know if you need help.”66 Of course, by that time, Mr. Wright had rejected
Friedman’s request for his old job back. Only weeks later, Friedman was testifying before the
Committee to accuse the Team of a litany of inappropriate conduct, none of which Friedman claimed to
have reported in the 24 years he worked for the Team, or the 15 months since he had been fired while
unsuccessfully lobbying for his old job. Evidently, when Friedman finally recognized that his efforts to
be rehired were futile, he was extremely angry and decided to seek to damage the Team in any way
possible.
Notably, when asked about his praise for Dan Snyder in the letter written shortly after he was fired,
Friedman told the Committee that he was lying. But was Friedman lying to Mr. Snyder, or the Committee?
The overwhelming evidence shows that Friedman lied to the Committee. As the saying goes, once a liar,
always a liar.
***
In sum, the Committee’s Letter is based on the testimony solely of a disgruntled, lying former employee
without knowledge of the facts. The Team was never asked for any input on the allegations before they
were made public. We hope that this letter is of assistance to you in reaching the only outcome that we
believe is fair and appropriate here – there is no basis for an investigation. We would of course be pleased
to provide you with additional information.
Respectfully,
/s/ Jordan W. Siev
64
Bupkis is a Yiddish word meaning nothing or nothing at all. See Bubkes, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/bubkes.
65
See Ex. 14-16.
66
Email chain dated January 4, 2022, attached as Ex. 17.
April 18, 2022
Page 18
cc: The Honorable Carolyn B. Maloney

Chairwoman
House Committee on Oversight and Reform
The Honorable Raja Krishnamoorthi

Chairman
House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy
The Honorable James Comer

Ranking Member
House Committee on Oversight and Reform
The Honorable Michael Cloud

Ranking Member
House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy
Mr. Jason S. Miyares

Attorney General
Commonwealth of Virginia
Mr. Brian E. Frosh

Attorney General
State of Maryland
Mr. Karl A. Racine

Attorney General
District of Columbia
Mr. Roger Goodell (via Jeff Pash, Esq.)

Commissioner
National Football League, Inc.
Karen P. Seymour
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
John L. Brownlee
Stuart Nash
Holland & Knight LLP
James C. McCarroll
Cindy Schmitt Minniti
Julia Nestor
Reed Smith LLP
EXHIBIT 1
EXHIBIT 2
EXHIBIT 3
EXHIBIT 4
To: Mitch Gershman[[email protected]]; Jason Friedman[[email protected]]
From: Stephen Choi[/O=REDSKINS/OU=FIRST ADMINISTRATIVE GROUP/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN=CHOIS]
Sent: Thur 9/12/2013 3:05:17 PM (UTC)
Subject: RE: security deposits
No. I can discuss.

From: Mitch Gershman
Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2013 10:58 AM
To: Stephen Choi
Subject: Fwd: security deposits

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:
From: Jason Friedman <[email protected]>

Date: September 12, 2013, 10:17:10 AM EDT
To: Mitch Gershman <[email protected]>
Subject: security deposits
As I review these, what should I do if I come across a suite security deposit that I think we can keep? Should I alert
Dennis? Stephen? For instance, I doubt either of them know we have a $40,000 deposit from , a $50,000
deposit from and a $10,000 deposit from .

Jason Friedman
The Washington Redskins
1600 FedEx Way
Landover, Maryland 20785
T:
F:
C:
[email protected]
Follow the Redskins:

Web | Facebook | Twitter
Stadium Diagram Link: Click Here
Premium Members – save $1,000 off your invoice: Click Here
*** IMPORTANT NEW NFL BAG POLICY ***
Only clear plastic bags not to exceed 12" x 6" x 12" are permitted inside FedExField. Additionally, small clutch bags no
larger than the size of a hand may be carried separately or within the clear plastic bag. For more information go to
www.NFL.com/AllClear.

EXHIBIT 5
From: Jason Friedman
To: Mitch Gerschman ([email protected])
Subject: 100K
Date: Thursday, September 12, 2013 12:19:41 PM
Attachments: image001.jpg
If I can legitimately get 100K more in forfeited deposits, do you want that much? Or should we save
some for next year? No funny business….I will only submit the ones who have truly defaulted. Let
me know.

Jason Friedman
1600 FedEx Way
T:
F:
C:
[email protected]

Only clear plastic bags not to exceed 12" x 6" x 12" are permitted inside FedExField. Additionally, small
clutch bags no larger than the size of a hand may be carried separately or within the clear plastic bag.
For more information go to www.NFL.com/AllClear.

EXHIBIT 6
To: Stephen Choi[[email protected]]
From: Mitch Gershman[/O=REDSKINS/OU=EXCHANGE ADMINISTRATIVE GROUP
(FYDIBOHF23SPDLT)/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN=MITCH GERSHMAN]
Sent: Tue 9/17/2013 5:51:17 PM (UTC)
Subject: FW: defaulted security deposits
SD forfeit 091713.xlsx
Don’t we need some additional info to validate. Year they went bad, date item sold onto account.

help

Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2013 1:50 PM
To: Stephen Choi
Cc: Jeff Ritter; Joanne Petro; Caroline Andersen; Sonja Gaines; Mitch Gershman
Subject: defaulted security deposits

Stephen,

The accounts contained on the attached spreadsheet defaulted on their premium seating agreements. Therefore the security
deposits on these accounts are forfeited and should be applied towards FY14 Premium interest charge / buyout. Can you arrange
for processing / accounting? Please confirm. Thank you.

Jason Friedman
1600 FedEx Way
T:
F:
C:
[email protected]

Only clear plastic bags not to exceed 12" x 6" x 12" are permitted inside FedExField. Additionally, small clutch bags no larger than
the size of a hand may be carried separately or within the clear plastic bag. For more information go to www.NFL.com/AllClear.

EXHIBIT 7
To: Jason Friedman[[email protected]]; Joanne Petro[[email protected]]; Jeremy
Schraufnagel[[email protected]]
Cc: Mitch Gershman[[email protected]]; Paul Szczenski[[email protected]]; Fred
Comunale[[email protected]]; Larry Chu[[email protected]]
From: Stephen Choi[/O=REDSKINS/OU=FIRST ADMINISTRATIVE GROUP/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN=CHOIS]
Sent: Wed 1/14/2015 4:16:11 PM (UTC)
Subject: RE: defaulted security deposits
Joanne/Jeremy – please move the $$ over to PSS misc income. Let’s clearly document the default in the JE support. Thanks.

Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2015 10:42 AM
To: Stephen Choi
Cc: Mitch Gershman
Subject: defaulted security deposits

Stephen – these three premium accounts defaulted in 2014 and have a security deposit. Due to default they have forfeited their
deposit. How do you want to handle the accounting?

1066910 $1,995.00
3001875 $1,995.00
686824 $697.50
Total $4,687.50

JASON A. FRIEDMAN
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
1600 FedEx Way | Landover, MD 20785
W: | M:
[email protected]
Follow the Premium Club: Web | Twitter
Referral Program | Stadium Diagram

My Redskins Account | NFL Bag Policy

EXHIBIT 8

FedExField  1600 FedEx Way  Landover, MD 20785  301-276-6000  www.REDSKINS.com

Re: Redskins Season Ticket Account #
$ Security Deposit
Dear ,
It is our policy to review and update our account records periodically. Our records indicate that your
Washington Redskins season ticket account has a remaining balance. You may be entitled to a refund of the
remaining balance associated with your account. State law requires us to report and remit the funds in this
account to the state if you do not claim these funds. To avoid having these funds reported and paid to the
state unclaimed property office, please check the appropriate box below, sign in the space provided, and
return this form to us no later than May 15, 2014.
You may return this letter by mail to Washington Redskins Ticket Office, FedExField, 1600 FedEx Way,
Landover, MD 20785, or by e‐mail at [email protected].
Your assistance is appreciated. If you have any questions, please contact us at
[email protected].
The above name and address information is correct for the account. Please send a refund of the
remaining balance associated with this account to this address.
The above name and address information is not correct. Please change the account holder’s
name and/or address as follows:

_______________________________________________________________
Please send a refund of the remaining balance associated with this account to this address.
The above name and address information is correct and my account is currently active.
I am the account holder or am authorized to sign on behalf of the account holder. I hereby promise that the
above information is true and correct.

___________________________
Name:

Date:

Phone:

E‐Mail:
Super Bowl XVII Super Bowl XXII Super Bowl XXVI

EXHIBIT 9
EXHIBIT 10
Sent: Monday, June 1, 2020 3:59 PM
To:
Subject:
Fucking Korean nut job

EXHIBIT 11
To: Mitch Gershman[[email protected]]
From: Jason Friedman[/O=REDSKINS/OU=FIRST ADMINISTRATIVE GROUP/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN=FRIEDMANJ]
Sent: Thur 9/6/2012 5:12:47 PM (UTC)
Subject: RE: how we doin
Should be double digits today. When we win Sunday, we are going to bust nuts in sluts butts next week.

From: Mitch Gershman
Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2012 1:00 PM
To: Jason Friedman
Subject: how we doin

EXHIBIT 12
To: Mitch Gershman[[email protected]]
From: Jason Friedman[/O=REDSKINS/OU=FIRST ADMINISTRATIVE GROUP/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN=FRIEDMANJ]
Sent: Thur 1/9/2014 10:09:26 PM (UTC)
Subject: We all like him
Everyone in the office likes him. It was nice to hear straight answers from the coach. When asked if he liked the read option, he
answered “I love it…” instead of cryptic dodging. Time to bust nuts in sluts butts.
EXHIBIT 13
Jason A. Friedman
November 9, 2020
Mr. Daniel Snyder

21300 Coach Gibbs Drive
Ashburn, VA 20147
Dear Mr. Daniel Snyder
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work for you and the team for so many years. I enjoyed every minute of it. I
know our ticket business has been steadily declining over the past few years. Even during these declining years, I felt like
you always had my back and appreciated my efforts. I hope I did not let you down and I hope that I might have the
opportunity to work for you again in the future.
I worked for you since the very first day you owned the team. I know our direct interactions were limited, but there are
many things that you did that left a permanent positive impact on me. You treated me like a son. You cheered for me,
even if from a distance. I will never forget your kindness.
I feel comfortable saying it now…this garbage in the newspaper is bothersome. The article was a hit job. You always
looked at me and my teammates in the eye. You always treated me and my teammates with respect. And this question
about calling you “Dan,” vs. “Mr. Snyder” …I can tell you this – Mr. Cooke would break my neck if he heard me carelessly
calling you “Dan.” You own the team. What is so wrong with calling you “Mr. Snyder?” Plus, from day one, when we
called you “Mr. Snyder” you always said, “call me Dan.” Where does the newspaper get their information? Believe me,
you have many more supporters than the media would lead one to believe. None of us are perfect. The good deeds barely
get noticed while the missteps get blown way out of proportion.
I have a good feeling that you did not order my firing. While I am far from perfect, I was never accused of any wrongdoing.
The new management team said that my management style was “abrasive and antiquated.” Maybe so, but I loved my
teammates. I loved our customers. I made sure no one stole from us. I made sure that none of our employees were
“enterprising.” I carefully examined every invoice that crossed my desk and made sure we were not wasting money or
getting overcharged by vendors. I felt a personal connection and obligation to you to spend the money as if it were my
own. I tried to sell as many tickets as possible. I treated our customers with respect. I did all of this because I love The
Redskins & you.
Regarding my loyalty to you, my termination changes nothing. I have a roof over my head because of you. I had an
amazing 24-year career with the team because of you. I am eternally loyal to you. Please feel free to reach out to me
anytime I can be of any help.
Sincerely,
Jason A. Friedman
@gmail.com
EXHIBIT 14
From: Jason Friedman < @gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 7, 2021 9:20 AM
To: Jason Wright < @washingtonfootball.com>
Subject: Re: Attendance
Okay. Please let me know if anything changes. Please don’t lose my number! Be well.
Jason A. Friedman
cell:
From: Jason Wright < @washingtonfootball.com>

Sent: Thursday, October 7, 2021 7:28:50 AM
To: Jason Friedman <j >
Subject: Re: Attendance
I think we are good here Jason. Thank you for the nice note. I hope all is well.
Jason Wright
President
Washington Football Team
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

- Nelson Mandela
“Details matter, and it’s worth taking the time to get it right.”
- Steve Jobs
From: Jason Friedman <j @gmail.com>

Sent: Wednesday, October 6, 2021 9:32:48 PM
Subject: Attendance

Jason,

I’m not sure what has happened with attendance. The local news is reporting that we are last. (See attached screenshot.)

I took game day attendance personally. Every empty seat made me feel guilty.

It’s been almost a year since I left. I don’t know if you guys miss me…the team ticket business appears to be missing me.
I sure miss the team. I miss the fans. I miss my teammates. I miss the stadium…busted pipes and all.
I’ve had a year to reflect on my past shortcomings. I’ve learned, and I am remorseful for these shortcomings.
If you welcomed me, I’d be back there to help at a moments notice.

Be well. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Jason A. Friedman
cell:
EXHIBIT 15
EXHIBIT 16
04/12/2022 12:43 PM
EXHIBIT 17
External Signed
From: Jason Friedman @gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 4, 2022 5:32 PM
Subject: Calls from the stadium
Hello Jason,
Happy new year. I hope you are well.
I did not want to bother you on Sunday. See attached. I received two calls from the stadium on Sunday. One was a man
who said “wrong number” and apologized. The other hung up on me when I answered.
Let me know if you need help. Be well. Thank you.
Jason A. Friedman
cell:

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599 Lexington Avenue

New York, NY 10022-7650

April 18, 2022

Via Hand Delivery

The Honorable Lina M. Khan

Re: Washington Commanders

Dear Chair Khan:

2.2. Each of Friedman’s and the Committee’s Specific Allegations is False

2.2.1. Ticket Sales

2.2.2. Ticket Revenue

2.2.3. Security Deposits

Friedman’s testimony to the Committee is, once again, false.

Friedman lied to the Committee on issues big and small.

I unequivocally deny Mr. Friedman’s account about Mr. Donovan’s

/s/ Jordan W. Siev

cc: The Honorable Carolyn B. Maloney

The Honorable Raja Krishnamoorthi

The Honorable James Comer

The Honorable Michael Cloud

Mr. Jason S. Miyares

Mr. Brian E. Frosh

Mr. Karl A. Racine

Mr. Roger Goodell (via Jeff Pash, Esq.)

No. I can discuss.

Sent from my iPhone

From: Jason Friedman <[email protected]>

Follow the Redskins:

Follow the Redskins:

Follow the Redskins:

Referral Program | Stadium Diagram

Super Bowl XVII Super Bowl XXII Super Bowl XXVI

Fucking Korean nut job

Mr. Daniel Snyder

Dear Mr. Daniel Snyder

From: Jason Wright < @washingtonfootball.com>

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

From: Jason Friedman <j @gmail.com>

If you welcomed me, I’d be back there to help at a moments notice.

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