Yahoo Sports Ex-Commanders executive Jason Friedman sues team for defamation over 'perjury' accusation for Congressional testimony
Former Washington Commanders executive Jason Friedman is suing the team for defamation after the franchise accused him of "perjury" regarding his 2022 testimony to the U.S. Congress concerning allegations of financial fraud.
Friedman, a former ticket and sales executive for the team, filed the lawsuit July 7 and is seeking $7.5 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages, according to documents obtained by the Washington Post. From the lawsuit:
“The Team responded to Mr. Friedman’s allegations of financial improprieties by repeatedly and publicly calling him a liar, accusing him of committing the federal crime of perjury, and falsely implying that he was terminated as part of the Team’s sexual harassment scandal that was being widely reported … in the press.
“The Team’s false statements about Mr. Friedman, which it has repeated or caused to be repeated in various public forums, have devastated him personally and professionally: [H]e suffers from severe anxiety and depression, will require ongoing medical treatment, and has been unable to find a comparable job due to the Team’s deliberate and malicious destruction of his reputation.”
Friedman testified in front of the House Oversight Committee in 2022 regarding allegations that the Commanders withheld ticket revenue that's required by the NFL to be shared in part with other teams. Two days after the hearing, the Commanders released a statement denying the allegations while accusing those who testified that they withheld revenue of "perjury."
"There has been absolutely no withholding of ticket revenue at any time by the Commanders," the team's April 2022 statement reads. "Those revenues are subject to independent audits by multiple parties. Anyone who offered testimony suggesting a withholding of revenue has committed perjury, plain and simple."
Friedman's attorney Lisa Banks released a statement the same day rebutting the "perjury" accusation and accusing the team of defamation. The statement named now-outgoing owner Dan Snyder.
“The Washington Commanders just released a statement to members of the media," Banks' April 2022 statement reads. "They defamed my client, Jason Friedman, who came forward at the request of the Congressional Oversight Committee and testified truthfully, with evidence.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Friedman is unable to defend himself publicly due to contractual constraints that prevent him from speaking freely. He would be happy to recount his testimony if Dan Snyder and the Washington Commanders allow him to do so."
The hearings over the revenue fraud allegations were part of a larger Congressional inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment and workplace misconduct within the Commanders franchise.
Friedman's lawsuit also names Commanders attorney John Brownlee. It cites comments Brownlee made in a radio interview and a letter the team sent to the FTC in addition to the team statement, the Post reports. Neither the Commanders nor Brownlee provided comment immediately after news of the lawsuit emerged.
The lawsuit was filed amid a pending $6.05 billion sale of the franchise from Snyder to private equity investor Josh Harris, who owns the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and NHL's New Jersey Devils. NFL owners are scheduled to meet Thursday to consider a vote to approve the sale.
(Disclosure: Josh Harris is a co-founder of Apollo Global Management, which owns Yahoo, Inc. He left the private equity firm in 2022.)
