ESPN reporter Tisha Thompson sat down with ABC15 to discuss her seven-month investigation with Josh Weinfuss into Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill's alleged treatment of team employees.
Tisha Thompson is one of the investigative reporters who says after a top Cardinal executive filed an arbitration complaint with the NFL about workplace culture back in 2019, she got a copy in the spring, which led her to ask if others felt the same.
The report details allegations of yelling and using profanity toward employees, as well as treating women and people of color unfairly or differently than their counterparts.
Several women say they were told not to use certain stairwells or bathrooms to avoid speaking to players. In instances where players spoke to them or interacted with them, the women say they were still disciplined or blamed for the interactions.
“Even if the men initiated the conversation, as one woman said, it was always our fault,” said Thompson.
“An emerging theme that our reporting found is a number of women who worked for the team, that they thought they believed they were not allowed to be in the same spaces as male colleagues,” she said.
The report also details Cardinals Owner Michael Bidwill berating and yelling at employees in front of others to the point of humiliation. One employee is reported to have needed a trauma counselor after the way Bidwill reacted when she asked to use a sick day for Jury Duty.
Former Cardinals COO Ron Minegar, who left the team in 2020 after two decades, went on the record for the ESPN story on how he felt about Bidwell.
“What he had to say is Michael Bidwell was a yeller and miserable to people,” said Thompson.
ABC15 reached out to the Cardinals for a statement on Wednesday but didn’t hear back.
The NFL issued a statement saying in part, “Mr. Bidwell has listened to Cardinals employees and advice from external experts, he has implemented changes that are resulting in a positive and inclusive environment.”
Part of those changes reportedly include a new head of HR who has reported to clarify that women can be in the same place as men and Bidwill has taken part in leadership training.
A team spokesperson issued the following statement to ABC15:
The story unfortunately relies largely on outdated perceptions and misperceptions. It doesn’t account for significant changes that have been made in recent years and certainly does not reflect where we are as an organization today.
