Washington Commanders fan Drew Shipley won $14,000 raffle, says check bounced

A Washington Commanders fan who won a check for over $14,000 from the team in a 50/50 charity raffle was shocked when he went to deposit the check and it bounced.

Drew Shipley, who purchased season tickets for the Commanders this year, told WUSA9 that he had won the Washington Commanders Charitable Foundation raffle during the team’s home opening win against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 11. 

After waiting over a month for the check, Shipley called out the NFL team on social media asking for his money before asking his ticket representative to reach out to the team.

“Who am I supposed to talk to? Am I supposed to call Dan Snyder myself?” Shipley said, referencing Commander’s embattled owner who has been the center of multiple scandals.

Finally, on Oct. 13, a check for $14,822 from the Commanders finally arrived at Shipley’s home in a FedEx envelope.

He deposited the check with his credit union but was notified four days later that the check had bounced, he told the outlet.

Instead of a massive payday, Shipley was fined $15 for a bad check fee.

“Obviously somebody dropped the ball,” Shipley said.

A spokesperson for the Commanders confirmed to WUS9 that Shipley’s check had bounced, blaming the gaffe on a “bank error.”

“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,” the spokesperson said in an email.

“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 spokesperson said in an email.

Shipley said the bounced check only added to what he described as an “underwhelming” experience as a Commander’s season ticket holder.

“You gotta do the small things right,” Shipley said. “You have big enough scandals from the top of your organization, you gotta retain your customers.”