NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is set to investigate Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill over allegations of cheating, discrimination and harassment filed by a former team executive.
On Tuesday, former Cardinals executive Terry McDonough filed an arbitration claim accusing Bidwill of gross misconduct throughout his ownership tenure. McDonough claimed he and then-Cardinals coach Steve Wilks were instructed to use burner phones to communicate with former Arizona general manager Steve Keim during the GM's five-week suspension in 2018 for extreme DUI.
McDonough claimed he still has the phone, which he said contains the evidence of the alleged cheating, as well as other documentation. He also claims he objected to using the burner phone but that his stance was overruled.
McDonough also claimed Bidwill ‘created an environment of fear for minority employees’. The arbitration filing reads: “In response to McDonough’s objection to the illicit burner phone scheme, Bidwill cursed at, berated, and formally reprimanded McDonough, and ultimately demoted him - irrevocably damaging the trajectory of McDonough’s 34-year career in the National Football League.
“Bidwill also subjected McDonough to bullying, mocking, harassing and abusive behaviour.”
McDonough claims his opportunities for advancement disappeared after he refused to go along with the alleged burner-phone scam, while Wilks was not comfortable either. He also accused Bidwill of sabotaging Wilks' first opportunity as an NFL head coach before he fired him at the end of his one season on the job. McDonough is seeking damages for breach of contract and emotional distress, while Wilks - who was fired after the 2018 season when the team finished 3-13 - alleges he was hired to serve only as a ‘bridge coach’ not given the opportunity to succeed.
McDonough - the Cardinals' vice president of player personnel from 2014 to 2019 - said that he wants to prevent Bidwill from treating people the way he was treated, claiming the owner ‘is significantly worse than the misbehaviour of former crosstown Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver’. The NBA suspended Sarver for one year and fined him $10million before he sold the franchise.
In a statement sent to ESPN, the Cardinals strongly denied the allegations. The team’s external public relations adviser Jim McCarthy said: “We are reluctantly obliged to provide a public response along with broader context for some disappointing and irresponsible actions by Terry McDonough.
“Claims he has made in an arbitration filing are wildly false, reckless, and an opportunistic ploy for financial gain. Our position was consistent with many efforts we've made to accommodate Terry during his time with the team, despite difficulties in his personal life and his often volatile demeanour toward colleagues.
“That's why we are saddened to see that Terry is now lashing out at our organisation with disparagements and threats that are absurdly at odds with the facts. This unnecessary and vindictive action by Terry was intended to malign his co-workers, our owner Michael Bidwill, and our team with outlandish accusations.”
As the case progresses, commissioner Goodell will likely require the parties to cease public commentary. The grievance will then play out behind close doors in a forum that is necessarily rigged in favour of the teams, since the organisations employ and compensate the person ultimately responsible for the decision.
