Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill walks the field before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium
Ex-Cardinals Employees Take Owner Michael Bidwill To Court Over Racial Discrimination Claims: Report 1
Two former Arizona Cardinals employees are suing the team, its owner Michael Bidwill, and COO Jeremy Walls for racial discrimination. A federal judge has ruled that the lawsuit must be handled through the NFL’s private arbitration process rather than a public trial, according to Theo Mackie of Arizona Republic.
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Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill walks out on to the field before their game against the Detroit Lions at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Oct. 11, 2026.
Ex-Cardinals Personnel Take Legal Action Against Owner Michael Bidwill
A federal court ruled on October 5 that former Cardinals employees must arbitrate their claims rather than go to trial. While the staffers protested that the NFL Commissioner’s authority makes the hearing biased, the judge rejected the claim and upheld the contracts.
A former coach, Don Shumpert, and a former assistant, Kendra Hogue (both Black) filed a joint lawsuit against COO Jeremy Walls. They claim they faced racial bias, unfair treatment, payback, and a toxic office. Now that a judge has moved the case to private arbitration, both sides must report their progress every 120 days.
Two former Cardinals employees have sued the team, owner Michael Bidwill, and COO Jeremy Walls on various claims, including racial discrimination. A federal judge has enforced the NFL's controversial arbitration clause, for now. https://t.co/w8s7gglZvV
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 12, 2026
Shumpert alleged he was given expanded responsibilities without a pay raise or formal title change, while “the Cardinals promoted two white coaches, giving them new titles and contracts for doing the exact same job they were doing before,” the lawsuit says.
Terry McDonough used to work for the team. Between 2023 and 2024, he won $3 million after an NFL judge found that the team lied to the public about him, and he then took them to state court. Then there is Brittany Neuheisel. She used to work as an assistant for owner Michael Bidwill. She sued him because she said he yelled at her, harassed her, and kicked her out of her job, and her case was sent to a private dispute panel, too.
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