Former Arizona Cardinals vice president Terry McDonough filed an arbitration claim against owner Michael Bidwill, alleging Bidwill retaliated against him with a demotion after he opposed a plan to circumvent former general manager Steve Keim’s 2019 suspension.
According McDonough, he and then-Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks were forced to communicate with Keim via burner phones as the general manager served a five-game suspension for driving under the influence.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter obtained a copy of the complaint, which accuses Bidwill of a breadth of misconduct, including cheating, discrimination and harassment.
Cardinals’ external public relations adviser Jim McCarthy addressed McDonough’s claims in a statement on Tuesday.
“We are reluctantly obliged to provide a public response along with broader context for some disappointing and irresponsible actions by Terry McDonough,” McCarthy said. “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 demeanor toward colleagues,” the statement from McCarthy said. “That’s why we are saddened to see that Terry is now lashing out at our organization 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.”
This story will be updated.