WASHINGTON — Anheuser-Busch has decided to no longer sponsor the Washington Commanders. The brewing company is one of the Commanders' biggest corporate sponsors. Anheuser-Busch is also the official beer sponsor of the National Football League.
A Washington Commanders Team spokesperson confirmed to WUSA9, that Anheuser-Busch is no longer a corporate sponsor. The team spokesperson said in a statement:
“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 team believes there is tremendous upside in the alcohol sponsorship category for the Commanders.”
WUSA9 reached out to Anheuser-Busch for comment regarding why they decided to cut ties and a spokesperson emailed the following statement:
“Anheuser-Busch has decided not to renew its sponsorship of the Washington Commanders team at this time. 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.”
Anheuser-Busch endorses many NFL players including Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke.
"I think it absolutely sends a message that these big corporations have corporate values, they have standards of treatment of their own employees, and where you put your dollars shows what you support," former Washington Commanders employee Megan Imbert said. "I think it sends a message that for some reason they decided to pull out their sponsorship, and I really hope it’s because of our situation.”
This is the third corporate partner to not renew their sponsorship with Washington's NFL team. In February, Medliminal, a medical billing compliance company out of Manassas, Virginia, also cut ties with the Commanders.
In the email response from Medliminal, obtained by WUSA9, the company says "Medliminal will not be continuing its partnership with the Washington Commanders for the 2022-2023 season and indefinitely going forward. We are sincerely disappointed in the Commanders handling of both the facts and allegations surrounding their organization."
The company removed the Washington Commanders logo from its website.
Last April, Inova said they would no longer have a partnership with the commanders to "allow Inova's orthopedic leadership team to focus on business and growth opportunities." In 2016, Inova agreed to a 10-year partnership with the team. Part of the agreement included rights for the Commanders practice facility in Ashburn, VA.
In February, a Maryland woman created a website for fans to send emails to corporate sponsors asking them to sever all ties with the Washington Commanders and Owner Daniel Snyder. This came after the recent sexual harassment allegations and handling of the NFL’s investigation into the toxic work culture of the team. The creator of the website asked to remain anonymous because of fear of retaliation from Snyder.
The website, called Boycott Dan, was created on Feb. 4 and already, almost 15,000 emails have been sent to corporate sponsors. The list includes PepsiCo, FedEx, Bank of America, USAA and more.
According to the founder of boycottdan.com, being a survivor of sexual assault and workplace sexual harassment is what also motivated her to create the website.
"This is not going to be good for me mentally, but I felt a deep connection to the women who were sharing their stories," said the website creator.
In 2020, The NFL launched a 10-month long investigation into the toxic culture of the Washington Commanders. The league would later fine the team $10 million. The NFL launched a second investigation after new allegations were made by former Washington Commanders employee Tiffani Johnston during a roundtable discussion with Congress on Capitol Hill earlier this month. During that roundtable discussion, six former employees leveled accusations of misconduct.