Cardinals fire back at former executive who made misconduct claims, say 'erratic behavior' led to his firing
The Arizona Cardinals denied the allegations made by former executive Terry McDonough, who said earlier this month owner Michael Bidwill engaged in widespread misconduct, including cheating, discrimination and harassment.
In a response obtained by the Associated Press, the team said McDonough, who was the Cardinals' vice president of player personnel from 2014 to 2019, filed the arbitration claim with the NFL "in retaliation" for not being retained by new general manager Monti Ossenfort. The team added that McDonough was fired because his “erratic behavior eventually damaged his career."
“Mr. McDonough’s filing is full of allegations and assertions that, while colorful, are not true and do not state viable legal claims,” the team’s attorneys said in the response, per the AP. “Mr. McDonough has been hanging onto this salacious yet fictitious story since the summer of 2018 and occasionally threatened to make it public.”
McDonough was reportedly offered a demotion in 2019 where he could work remotely from North Carolina, per the AP, and his 2022 contract included another demotion and a pay decrease. McDonough was informed he would be let go after Ossenfort was hired in January.
The Cardinals pointed to five examples of McDonough's "erratic behavior":
When he was passed up for the GM job with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, the team claims McDonough was “livid and indignant" and "made an inappropriate phone call to the 49ers to vent his anger about their decision." He allegedly called back to apologize.
The team claims McDonough took "an aggressive physical posture" with then-general manager Steve Keim that included "gesturing with his index finger in [Keim's] face." A similar instance prompted the following text from Bidwill to McDonough, according to the AP:
“What was very disturbing today was the unprofessional and argumentative reaction you had to my comment to you after practice to not let me ‘be an afterthought.’ Your reaction was completely disproportionate to my statement. You had no reason to lose your temper. I can’t remember the last time I had that kind of interaction with any member of our staff, say nothing of an executive. It was juvenile and unbecoming. Puffing out your chest, pointing your finger at me, raising your voice and repeating yourself in an attempt to intimidate me into agreeing with you. Telling me to ‘prove’ my concern. Really?!”
Bidwill reportedly sent this text to McDonough after McDonough wore flip-flops, cargo shorts, and a T-shirt to meet Kyler Murray, who the team had just drafted No. 1 in 2019:
“Walking in at noon in front of Kyler Murray, his family and cameras looking like you just stepped off a beach was embarrassing and unacceptable.”
McDonough allegedly didn't show up for work for the rest of the draft, which the team claimed was “a serious violation of the terms of Terry’s employment” for which it “had good cause to fire him immediately.”
McDonough allegedly sent the following "threatening" text to Bidwill:
“You continue for some reason to come after me even though [I] have done a great job for you," McDonough allegedly wrote. "You can ruin my reputation with all the BS you want. Everyone in America is going to find out you are a liar and a cheat and [I] have all the evidence to prove it. Your move…”
McDonough's claims
In the filing from April 4, McDonough claimed Bidwill demoted him after he opposed Bidwill's plan to use burner phones to talk with then-general manager Steve Keim during Keim's five-game suspension for driving under the influence. Keim resigned this offseason after he took an indefinite leave of absence late in the 2022 season.
Team attorneys claimed in Monday's filing that the burner phones were distributed by a former executive and Bidwill ordered the phones to be collected before he told the ex-employee the idea was wrong.
The arbitration claim by McDonough also said Bidwill "created an environment of fear for minority employees" which included alleged mistreatment of Black employees as well as an incident where Bidwill allegedly berated two pregnant women to the point of tears. The Cardinals vehemently denied those allegations soon after McDonough's filing was reported.
McDonough is reportedly seeking damages for emotional distress and breach of contract.
