It has been a tough few months for Michael Bidwill in light of the recent accusations leveled against him. Michael, who’s the third owner of the Arizona Cardinals from the Bidwill lineage, is in hot waters currently. In addition to the Cardinals’ on-field woes, Bidwill’s charges have further put pressure on the 58-year-old owner. In this article, we will take a look at who Bidwill is and his dark past.
Michael Bidwill is the president, principal owner, and chairman of the NFL side Arizona Cardinals. Initially a lawyer, Bidwill inherited the team as its principal owner in 2019. Before Michael, the Cardinals were owned by his father Bill, and his grandfather Charles who bought the team back in 1933. Bidwill is hugely credited with bringing the Cardinals to the forefront after taking over the side.
Since he took over, the Cardinals went from playing in a rented college stadium to becoming a prominent NFL teams. Moreover, the Cardinals have also enjoyed their highest win percentage under Michael. Lastly, the Cardinals have had multiple playoff appearances, a Super Bowl run, and a NFC Championship run under Michael.
However, despite such successes, Michael Bidwill has been facing the heat over multiple charges made against him. Since 2018, several Cardinals employees including Michael have been going through some tough times. Moreover, some former Cardinals employees have also accused Michael of multiple wrongdoings, including cheating and discrimination.
What has been Michael Bidwill accused of?
Michael Bidwill, the $1.4 billion-worth owner of the Arizona Cardinals, has been accused of failing to maintain the required workplace standards at the club. These concerns were raised by several past and present Cardinals employees. For example, according to The Athletic, from 2008 to 2021, there was no HR director and a fully-staffed HR department at the club.
ESPN interviewed more than 3 dozen current & former Cardinals employees, many of whom described a workplace they found abusive & intimidating in part due to a fear of the owner’s unpredictable tirades. My latest investigation with @joshweinfuss ⤵️ https://t.co/7zDEnoFcA8
— Tisha Thompson (@TishaESPN) November 1, 2023
Moreover, an employment survey that was carried out in 2019 had allegedly painted Bidwill in a bad light. To prevent his reputation from taking a hit, Bidwill has reportedly buried the survey. In addition to this, Bidwill has also been accused of discriminating against women employees. Some reports suggest that Bidwill had instilled some unwritten policies about how women should dress, where they should go, and how they should speak or laugh.
Former AZ Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks testified that a team exec gave him a burner phone to communicate with former GM Steve Keim under orders from Keim & team owner Michael Bidwill during Keim’s suspension, according to a deposition obtained by ESPN. https://t.co/fzoGNIP8H1
— Tisha Thompson (@TishaESPN) August 30, 2023
There have also been reports that Michael had mistreated and verbally abused former Cardinals COO Ron Minegar after the latter was arrested for DUI in 2019. Lastly, another former Cardinals executive, Terry McDonough, accused Bidwill of orchestrating a burner phone scheme to communicate with ex-general manager Steve Keim despite Keim being legally obstructed from contacting the team after a league-imposed suspension due to DUI.