the milwaukee brewers, these were simply placeholder amounts. major league baseball commissioner. >> these emotional ceremonial first pitches that we see, great patriotic acts, some of them were in fact paid for by the pentagon. is that going to stop? >> let me be clear agent one thing. the price was discounted on the deal to avoid there being any appearance that those ceremonial acts were paid for. correct, sir? what i'm looking at the contract, it says directly on the contract, arizona air national guard soldier throwing out ceremonial first pitch at the home game. >> i'm not saying there are not contracts that contain that language. i'm saying, for example, we in fact discounted the deal so we were not receiving payment for those items. >> i don't think that that explanation holds water. >> reporter: in fact, contracts obtained by abc news show that some teams charge nothing for acts of patriotism. major league baseball says it will review the practice and tell its teams to make it crystal clear they're not being paid for on field patriotism.

and when vets threw out the first pitch at three milwaukee brewers games.er rappelled down a rope at center ice to drop the puck at a minnesota wild game. in each case the bill sent to the american taxpayer. >> to charge the taxpayers for it in the name of patriotism is disingenuous at best and frankly unacceptable at worst. >> reporter: senator mccain calls it paid patriotism, and in contracts between sports teams and the pentagon found these price tags. the new york jets, a team valued at $1.8 billion, submitted a $10,000 bill for a soldier to be an honorary captain. the milwaukee brewers charged $7,500 to throw three ceremonial first pitches. and the dallas mavericks charged $5,000 for their cheerleaders to throw national guard t-shirts provided by the national guard. the leagues and teams deny they charge for patriotic displays but say they do have contracts with the pentagon to help in recruiting. they insist the tributes are added for free. but we asked the commissioner of major league baseball why those contracts say otherwise. >> so is what the cont

and when vets threw out the first pitch at three milwaukee brewers games.nd when this soldier rappelled down a rope at center ice to drop the puck at a minnesota wild game. in each case, the bill sent to the american taxpayer. >> to charge the taxpayers for it in the name of patriotism is disingenuous at best and, frankly, unacceptable at worst. >> reporter: senator mccain calls it paid patriotism, and in contracts between sports teams and the pentagon, found these price tags. the new york jets, a team valued at $1.8 billion, submitted a $10,000 bill for a soldier to be an honorary captain. the milwaukee brewers charged $7,500 to throw three ceremonial first pitches. and the dallas mavericks charged 5,000 for their cheerleaders to throw national guard t-shirts provided by the national guard. the leagues and teams deny they charge for patriotic displays, but say they do have contracts with the pentagon to help in recruiting. they insist the tributes are added for free. but we asked the commissioner or major league baseball why those contracts say otherwise.

the milwaukee brewers charged 75 hundred dollars to throw 3 ceremonial first pitctcs. and the dallll mavericks charged 5 thousand for their cheerleaders to guard tee shirts provided by the national guard. (graphic out) the leagues and teams deny they charge for patriotic displays but say they do h he contracts with the pentagon to help in recruiting they insist the tributes are added for free. but we asked the commissioner of major league baseball why those contracts say otherwise. avila: so is what the contract says not correct, sir? manfred: i'm not saying that there aren't contracts that contain that language, i am saying / but the leagues have provided no proof of any disisunts for the totohing tributes sports fans so lovov " jessicicrae: new house speaker paul ryan gave a staunch warning for both the white hohoe and congressional democrats. the wisconsin republican says the g-o-p won't back down from a fit over government spending ... even though the threat of a government shutdown is a little over a month away. " " we have a tough deadline, december 11th. wewee g

throwing out the first pitch at the milwaukee brewers game? and repelling down a rope at center ice to drop the puck at a minnesota wild game. nats - nhl drop the puck. in total-members of congress say 53 million taxpayer dollars have been spent on sponsoring these events. the leagues and teams deny they charged for patriotic displays, saying the events were members of congress say that excuse doesn't hold water detail in the what the major league baseball commissioner told abc news's jim avila: sot - manfred: i actually talked to clubs and you know what i actually found out the answer was? the military organizations thought this was a good idea. they think it is good for their business, good for their recruiting function to be associated with major league baseball remove this bite and use the bite where they say they are telling teams to avoid even the appearance of paying for patriotism.. megan hughes tag: the nfl sent a letter to congress saying it is launching an audit and if it finds instances of patriotic acts being paid for they will re

women carrying that giant flag at the buffalo bills game, throwing out the first pitch at the milwaukee brewers game, and rapelling down a rope at center ice to drop the puck at a minnesota wild game. " sot - flake we have specific contracts spelling out 20,000 dollars for a salute to the home town hero actually specifying how long something had to be on the jumbotron" jack: congressional investigators taxpayer dollars these events. the president is expected to sign a defense spending bill in a that includes a ban on the practice. stephanie: huge night of volleyball tonight for the local high schools... and what would without a dowling-valley matchup! coming up on local 5 sports #1 versus #4. it went to 5 sets see if the maroons or tigers are headed to cedar rapids... are iowa sports" jordan/bam: the valley- dowling rivalry is one of the best in the state regardless of sport! tonight it shifts to the volleyball court and the stakes couldn't be higher. a trip to cedar rapids and the state tournament is on the line! the maroons won the first two meetings of the year, with the tigers winning the m

like the 7500 cl the milwaukee brewers got. that covered on screen views. >> they're traps for funds and then we find out they're paying for them on the field. >> reporter: the air force paying for four sideline season kickets and the national guard came for 40 at indiana pacers games. the whiesh says the spending is >> the department of defense would likely say -- the nba says we will perform an additional review to insure this is the case. major league baseball says it's encouraged teamed to take steps to avoid anything showing they have been paid. now, the nhl had no comment. major league soccer says the ceremony it does is separate from the marketing agreement it sign would the military. the senators say we're still bushing legislation that would ban it. laundry can wreak havoc on our clothes, ruining them forever. sweaters stretch into muumuus. and pilled cardigans become pets. but it's not you, it's the laundry. protect your clothes from stretching, fading, and fuzz. ...with downy fabric conditioner... it not only softens

like the 7500 cl the milwaukee brewers got. that covered on screen views. >> they're traps for funds and then we find out they're paying for them on the field. >> reporter: the air force paying for four sideline season kickets and the national guard came for 40 at indiana pacers the whiesh says the spending is justified. >> the department of defense would likely say -- the nba says we will perform an additional review to insure this is the case. major league baseball says it's encouraged teamed to take steps to avoid anything showing they have been paid. now, the nhl had no comment. major league soccer says the ceremony it does is separate from the marketing agreement it sign would the military. the senators say we're still bushing legislation that would ban it. laundry can wreak havoc on our clothes, ruining them forever. sweaters stretch into muumuus. and pilled cardigans become pets. but it's not you, it's the laundry. protect your clothes from stretching, fading, and fuzz. ...with downy fabric conditioner... it not only sof

like the $7500 the milwaukee brewers got that covered award presentations on the field by national guard and the ceremonial first pitches. >> they say we're strapped for funds and then they're paying for these paid tributes on the field. >> reporter: he says some items, like the air force paying for sideline tickets to galaxy games, the national guard paying for 40 lower level seats at indiana pacers games. the white house says the spending is justified. >> they would likely say that these enhance their recruiting efforts. >> reporter: the sports teams denied being paid for tributes. they say we will pour form an additional review. and mlb says it has intake steps to avoid. and nfl says if we find that any inappropriate payments were made will be paid back in full. the pentagon has promised it's going to end the practice but the senators say they're still pushing legislation thats with ban it. janet? cough if you can hear me. don't even think about it. i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. yeah...but what about mike? it works on his cough too. cough! it works on his cough too. mucinex

the milwaukee brewers charged $7,500 to throw three ceremonial pitches. and the dallas mavericks charged $5,000 for their cheerleaders to throw national guard t-shirts provided by the national guard. the leagues and teams deny they charge for patriotic displays but say they do have contracts with the pentagon to help in recruiting. they insist these tributes are added for free. congress is reviewing about 27 contracts between major league sports and the department of defense worth about $6 million in taxpayers' money. tonight, the nfl says it will refund any money it finds was used for on-the-field military phil lipof, wcvb newscenter 5. >> next on newscenter 5 -- heather: 5 investigates. corners cut on your repairs and to save your insurance company money. >> what makes a spot in this boston garage more expensive than a house? harvey: near record warmth today. the chances of breaking records later this week. heather: top dogs. the family pet tipping the scales. >> you're watching wcvb newscenter 5 at 11:00. ed: accusations that car insurance companies ar

the milwaukee brewers charged $7,500 to throw three ceremonial first pitches. and the dallas mavericks charged $5,000 for their cheerleaders to throw national guard t-shirts provided by the national guard. the leagues and teams deny they but say they do have contracts with the pentagon to help in recruiting. they insist the tributes are added for free. but we asked the commissioner of major league baseball why those contracts say otherwise. >> so is what the contract says not correct? >> i'm not saying that there aren't contracts that contain that language. i'm saying we in fact discounted the deal so we were not receiving payment for those items. >> reporter: but the leagues have provided no proof of any discounts for the touching tributes sports fans so love. major league baseball and the nfl both say they will review all team contracts with the pentagon, and the nfl going further saying if they find any cases of paid patriotism they will be refunded. jim avila, abc news, washington. >> and this all came to light when congress wanted to know, they wanted to s

women carrying that giant flag at the buffalo bills game, throwing out the first pitch at the milwaukee brewers game, and rapelling down a rope at center ice to drop the puck at a minnesota wild game. " sot - flake we have specific contracts spelling out 20,000 dollars for a salute to the home town hero actually specifying how long something had to be on the jumbotron" sabrina: congressional investigators say 53 million taxpayer dollars have been spent on sponsoring these events. the president is expected to sign a defense spending bill in a couple of weeks that includes a ban on the practice. elias: in knoxville...a memorial that sparked controversy will be moved. the kneeling soldier memorial mysteriously showed up, without permission months ago in youngs park. after an anonymous citizen complained about the memorial- it grabbed national attention about separating church and state. however, knoxvilles city council voted to move the memorial to private property. local veterans said they're happy the memorial is here to stay. "in a way its almost better because right now, right now the rock blo

some examples the milwaukee brewers getting paid 49000 for a wisconsin army guard to sponsor the singinggod bless america and $1,500 for a pregame recognition of five high ranking air force officers and 20000 to the nfl new york jets to recognize army recognize national gaurt hometown heroes. today they expressed this frustration. >> the dod we had problems with getting the information from. and two, acknowledging that this is a practice they should not have engaged in. >> mccain and fellow arizona senator jeff flake praised many in sports to honor and recognize the military and thank them for their good work. flake said paid patriotism is not right. >> what is upsetting, is that when you see activities like this, that people assume when they go to games are paid for out of the goodness of their hearts by the owners and teams and find out the taxpayer is paying for it, it cheapens the whole lot. >> senators are calling on the pro sports franchises that received it to donate money to military or veterans charities, john? >> that would be a good response. it seems to me the public would be

women carrying that giant flag at the buffalo bills game, throwing out the first pitch at the milwaukee brewers game, and rapelling down a rope at center ice to drop the puck at a minnesota wild game. " sot - flake we have specific contracts spelling out 20,000 dollars for a salute to the home town hero actually specifying how long something had to be on the jumbotron" elias: congressional investigators say 53 million taxpayer dollars have been spent on sponsoring these events. the president is expected to sign a defense spending bill in a couple of weeks that includes a ban on the practice. elias: we have some neat night shots of lightning elias: meteorologist sam schrier joins us again with a look at your forecast. sam weather adlib: we have another pretty nice day on tap, but like yesterday we are probably going to have to wait until the afternoon before the sun comes out and brings the warmth. we are likely to have some morning clouds and patchy fog similar to yesterday, but as we get closer to lunch the clouds should roll back and we'll warm back up. highs today should be able to climb to

the milwaukee brewers, these were simply place holder amounts. >> i don't think that that explanation holes water and we have specific contracts spelling out, you know, $20,000 for a salute to the hometown hero actually specifying how long something had to be on the jumbotron. >> reporter: major league baseball telling its teams to stop the practice. >> we've encouraged them to take steps to avoid any appearance that they're being paid for truly ceremonial patriotic activities on the field. >> reporter: overnight, the nfl in a letter obtained exclusively by abc news tells congress it is ordering an external audit to see if its claims that the teams were charging for those are true and if they are, the league says it will pay the taxpayers back. robin. >> that's hard to hear that. hard to hear that report. jim, thank you. tuesday morning, an abc news exclusive, robin williams' widow speaking out for the first time since the comedian's death. >> the last year trying to get to the bottom of what took my husband's life. >> his secret battle with a crippling brain disorder and the last con

women carrying that giant flag at the buffalo bills game, throwing out the first pitch at the milwaukee brewers game, and rappeling down that rope at center ice to drop the puck at a minnesota wild game. in total members of congress say more than 53 million taxpayer dollars have been spent on response oring these events. the leagues and teams deany that they charge for patriotic displays, saying the events were free add-ons to big marketing contracts. members of congress say that excuse don't hold water, due to the level of detail in the contracts. here's what the major league baseball commissioner told abc news' jim avila. >> we've gone to the clubs and encouraged them to take steps to avoid any appearance that they're being paid for truly ceremonial patriotic activities on the field. reporter: the nfl says it's launching an awed and it if it finds instances of acts of patriotism being paid for, they will refund the money. the president is also expected to sign a defense spending by in includes a ban on the practice. meghan hughes, abc news, washington. jamie: the boston bruins keep it rolling

throwing out the first pitch at the milwaukee brewers game.elling down a rope at center ice to drop the buck at a minnesota wild game. in total, members of congress say more than $53 million taxpayer dollars have been spent on sponsoring these events. the leagues and the team deny they charge for patriotic displays saying the events were free add-ons to the big marketing contracts. member of congress says that excuse doesn't hold water with the level of detail in the contracts. here is what the major league baseball commissioner told abc news jim avila. >> i talk to clubs. you know what i found out the answer was? the military organization thought it was a good idea. they think it's good for their business, good for their recruiting function to be associated with major league baseball. reporter: the nfl says it is launching an audit and if it finds instances of act of patriotism being paid for they will refund the money. the president is also expected to sign a defense spending bill in the next couple of weeks that include a ban on the practic