The Arizona Cardinals football team, led by first-year head coach Jonathan Gannon, is getting prepared for Sunday’s Week 6 battle against the Los Angeles Rams. But now there’s a big distraction in the form of a new bombshell report detailing the toxic work conditions within the organization.
Kalyn Kahler of The Athletic had a chance to speak with over a dozen current and former Cardinals employees, who offered several ugly details about how they’ve been treated by members of the Arizona NFL franchise.
Workers were quick to recall coming to work back in 2019 when they were met with an all-new employee survey. Without an HR department or anyone to act as a filter between the person cutting the checks and the people cashing them, some wondered whether their responses would remain anonymous or if their truths could get them in trouble instead.
Nevertheless, those concerns didn’t prevent some survey responders from being honest about their interactions with upper management, where “people tore Michael Bidwell (Arizona Cardinals owner) to shreds.”
No one ever heard anything about the survey results again. It was as if their opinions didn’t matter to the people seeking feedback.
The Athletic spoke to various employees who combined for over 100 years with the Cardinals organization. Some revealed little bits about Bidwell, like how he’d freak out over the smallest inconveniences, like a squeaky wheel on a cart or a woman’s laugh being too loud, leaving employees feeling like they were “constantly on edge,” worrying about what would come next. It led to “a majority of employees operating in fear.”
Employees spoke of ‘unwritten rules’, including restrictions about how women were allowed to dress and interact with male members of the organization. This led some to say they worked in an “outdated, archaic, and constricted” environment, with no place to take their complaints.
“You would think being an entertainment sports team that it would be a fun place to work. No, not at all,” said one employee.
Anonymous Arizona Cardinals employee
Bidwell’s office, located on the second floor of the team’s headquarters, eventually became referred to as “tiptoe alley,” with employees afraid to go near him, never knowing what type of mood he’d be in.
With an estimated net worth near $3.8 billion, Bidwell took over majority ownership of the Cardinals franchise in 2019, after his father Bill passed away.
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