Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill is accused by a dozen employees of creating a toxic work environment and inciting fear.
The Athletic learned this on Thursday.
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Bidwill was particularly criticized for dictating to women how they should dress and interact with the football team’s coaching staff and players. Female employees would also be prohibited from accessing certain areas of the club’s facilities. He is also said to have reprimanded employees for laughing too loudly, walking too slowly or using dim lights in their office.
An internal investigation into the organization’s practices was reportedly abandoned by Bidwill in 2019 after several employees criticized him for the way he ran his company. However, in a statement, the cardinals denied that the investigation had been closed.
In January 2020, former COO Ron Minegar delivered a three-page letter to Bidwill stating that employees were “working in fear.”
“As I have personally told every member of the Cardinals organization, I definitely have things I can improve on, and looking back, I would have done some things differently over the years,” Bidwill wrote in a statement to The Athletic.
“I also know that my direct approach doesn’t always work, and I’m working on it. I have always been motivated by the desire to learn and improve and, more importantly, to use those lessons to build the best organization possible.”
The 58-year-old owner inherited the “Cards” in 2019, after his father’s death.