A former Arizona Cardinals govt and his household sued the group together with the group’s proprietor, legal professionals and disaster communications agency for defamation and different claims in Arizona state courtroom Wednesday.
An NFL arbitrator awarded Terry McDonough, the group’s former vice chairman of personnel, $3 million Friday after discovering the group and its proprietor, Michael Bidwill, had defamed McDonough in a press release issued to the media final April accusing McDonough of spousal abuse and neglect of his disabled grownup daughter — allegations McDonough has denied. The group issued the assertion in response to an arbitration criticism McDonough filed in opposition to Bidwill accusing the proprietor of illegal retaliation.
Now McDonough’s spouse and daughter are suing in Arizona Superior Court docket for defamation, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional misery in opposition to the Cardinals; Bidwill; the group’s disaster communications agency Counterpoint Methods and its proprietor Jim McCarthy; and group lawyer Don Johnsen and his legislation agency Gallagher & Kennedy. McDonough can be suing Counterpoint and McCarthy in addition to Johnsen and his legislation agency.
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“Every of the defendants introduced spoil to the McDonough household for no objective aside from to divert consideration from the actual fact Bidwill terminated Terry for refusing Bidwill’s order to make use of burner telephones to get round a suspension of the group’s common supervisor,” in line with a press release from the McDonoughs’ lawyer, Mike Caspino. “We stay up for presenting our case to a jury, the place Bidwill and the Cardinals will now not benefit from the safety of the NFL’s rigged arbitration system.”
The Cardinals stated in a press release that they “are conscious of the criticism however don’t have any further remark as it’s an lively authorized matter.”
The Cardinals beforehand stated in a press release concerning the arbitration choice, “We’re happy with the arbitrator’s choice dismissing all of Terry McDonough’s employment claims and discovering that there was nothing improper about his dismissal from the group. As for Mr. McDonough’s different declare, we respect the arbitrator’s dedication that our preliminary assertion went too far. We settle for duty for that assertion and are grateful that the arbitration is now resolved.”
McDonough, who joined the Cardinals in 2013, signed a two-year contract extension in Could 2022 however was relieved of his duties in January 2023, three months earlier than he filed the arbitration criticism.
In his 62-page choice, NFL arbitrator Jeffrey Mishkin discovered the statements made by the group underneath the steering of Counterpoint Methods “false and defamatory.” He dismissed McDonough’s different claims.
