Andrew Shipley is a relatively new Washington Commanders fan. But with only a few weeks in as a first-time season ticket holder, he’s already been dealt a disappointment due to a big fumble off the field.
Shipley won more than $14,000 in a raffle. First, the check took weeks to arrive. Then, it bounced.
"I had nowhere else to turn to. Right? What am I going to do… figure out how to call Dan Snyder myself?” Shipley asked.
Shipley says he thought he hit it big at the home opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 11 by winning $14,822 in the 50/50 charitable raffle.
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But as weeks went by with no money and no word from the team, he called flag on the play.
“I got the rigmarole over a couple of weeks, and then it turned into a month of eventually getting ghosted,” he said.
Forty days later, and with the help of his ticket rep, Shipley received the check in the mail and deposited it over the weekend.
But it was no touchdown. Days later, he learned the check bounced.
In a statement to News4, a representative for the Commanders said the problem was with a bank.
"We reached out directly to the fan as soon as we learned about it and have wired the money directly to his account and apologized for the inconvenience. It was a bank error, and we are following up with the bank to learn why it happened and ensure it doesn’t happen again,” the representative said.
Shipley is satisfied with how things turned out. He said the team staff were very nice, very apologetic and made things right.
“I am truly grateful that it happened, took a little longer than expected, but at the end of the day it was just a little discontent, but I had to be more patient I guess,” he said.
Shipley says he plans to pay off debt and maybe get a couple kayaks with his winnings.
The jury is still out on if he’ll renew his season tickets next year.
