The Commanders will no longer be sponsored by Anheuser-Busch, one of Washington’s biggest sponsors, WUSA9 reported Friday
In a statement obtained by WUSA9, an Anheuser-Busch representative said the company decided not to renew its corporate sponsorship with the Commanders, though it did not give a reason why.
“Anheuser-Busch has decided not to renew its sponsorship of the Washington Commanders team at this time,” the statement read. “We remain fully committed to Washington football fans, and we look forward to continuing our long-term partnership with the NFL and our other 26 team partners to create meaningful experiences and connections for fans across the country.”
Washington confirmed that Anheuser-Busch did not renew its sponsorship with the Commanders and cited that it was looking for other partners to take the brand's place.
“We’re exploring options in the alcohol category and looking for a strategic partner that will join us in the next era of Washington Football, as we play our first season as the Washington Commanders and prepare to develop a new venue,” the spokesperson said. “The team believes there is tremendous upside in the alcohol sponsorship category for the Commanders.”
Anheuser-Busch is the third corporate sponsor to cut ties with the franchise in the last year. Medliminal, a medical billing company, ended its sponsorship with the Commanders in February. Inova, a not-for-profit health organization, discontinued its sponsorship with the team in April 2021.
The loss of sponsorships comes at a time in which Washington is embroiled in controversy. In July 2020, the Washington Post released an article that detailed workplace sexual harassment experienced by 15 former women employees within the franchise. Later, the Post released another article reporting that a former senior executive instructed employees to create a behind-the-scenes video for team owner Dan Snyder. The video included videos of partially naked team cheerleaders from a ’08 team swimsuit calendar shoot.
Between both articles, 40 female employees were interviewed by the Post about being sexual harassed in the workplace.
In October, legislators in the Committee on Oversight and Reform sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell asking for him to give them “all documents and communications obtained in connection with the investigation into the WFT, its management, its owners, and any other matter relating to or resulting from the WFT investigation” by Nov. 4. Though the NFL provided answers pertaining to the members’ questions, they did not provide documents of their findings.
Representatives then called for the league and Washington to release all individuals from nondisclosure agreements that prevented them from speaking out against the team on Nov. 5. Six former employees met with the U.S. House of Representatives’ Oversight Committee to discuss workplace misconduct on Feb 3. Former employee Tiffani A. Johnston listed multiple offenses in her testimony, including new accounts that included an instance where the team owner made sexual advances toward her.
“I learned that placing me strategically by the owner at a work dinner after this networking event was not for me to discuss business, but to allow him to place his hand on my thigh under the table,” Johnston said. “I learned how to discreetly remove a man’s unwanted hand from my thigh at a crowded dinner table, at a crowded restaurant to avoid a scene. I learned that job survival meant I should continue my conversation with another co-worker rather than to call out Dan Snyder right then, in the moment.
“I also learned later that evening how to awkwardly laugh while Dan Snyder aggressively pushed me towards his limo with his hand on my lower back, encouraging me to ride with him to my car. I learned how to continue to say no even though a situation was getting more awkward, uncomfortable and physical.”
In light of the employee’s testimonies, the NFL hired former U.S. attorney and ex-Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White to investigate the new accounts about Snyder.
Snyder denied the allegations made against him.
A website called boycottdan.com emerged in February, according to WUSA9, and it allows page visitors to send a prewritten message to Washington’s corporate sponsors.
“We’re two longtime Commanders (and WFT, and before) fans who saw the brave women who spoke before a House committee regarding the culture of sexual harassment and assault in the organization,” the page says on its about page. ”We decided enough was enough and that if the NFL wouldn’t hold Dan Snyder accountable, we would have to pressure Corporate America to do it for them.”
According to WUSA9, nearly 15,000 emails have been sent to the Commanders corporate sponsors.
