The legal skirmish between former Cardinals executive Terry McDonough and Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill has moved from secret arbitration to open court. The difference between the two forums is already becoming crystal clear.
McDonough’s attorney, Mike Caspino, could say nothing about the arbitration while it was happening. Now that it’s over, and now that the battle has sparked a related lawsuit advancing claims that weren’t covered by arbitration, Caspino has much more freedom to speak his mind.
On Tuesday, he did.
Appearing on Doug Franz Unplugged, Caspino shared some strong criticisms of Bidwill.
“Michael Bidwill . . . is a horrible person,” Caspino said, “and I mean through his core.”
Caspino accused Bidwill of repeatedly lying under oath in the arbitration process.
“He’s worse than Dan Snyder,” Caspino said at one point during the interview.
Caspino believes Bidwill demonstrated “absolute, sheer arrogance,” flowing from a “belief of entitlement.”
Bidwill, in Caspino’s estimation, was truthful in one specific area. Bidwill, per Caspino, admitted that the statement issued by P.R. executive Jim McCarthy was irrelevant to the claims made by McDonough in the arbitration, and that the goal was to make McDonough look bad.
Speaking of McCarthy, Caspino said this: “If anyone in this world is going to hell, it’s Jim McCarthy. For a living he disparages people on the Internet. That’s his job. And Michael Bidwill brought him in to do that about Terry.”
Caspino concluded with this observation about the Cardinals under Bidwill: “It is an explanation for me as to why the Cardinals have been so abysmal. And we got into, in Michael Bidwell’s deposition, him telling me that he’s an outstanding judge of football talent. And I said, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Did you ever play the game?’ He said, ‘Yeah, I played it.’ I said, ‘Where’d you play?’ He said, ‘High school, in Washington, D.C.’ I said, ‘So, you’re the one making, you know, the talent decisions around the building?’ ‘Yeah, I am.’ And it struck me that — and in speaking to other people there — that he is such a hands-on owner that he goes into offensive coordinators and tells them who to get the ball to. And he’s making all of the decisions regarding the talent, regarding who to draft. And he’s making it off because he played for a year or two at some fancy boarding school in Washington, D.C. And it just struck me right there why the Cardinals are so bad. They have an owner who doesn’t listen to the people around him and thinks he’s smarter than everybody else, even with the game of football.”
Said the Cardinals as to Caspino’s overall interview: “While we have a completely different perspective than Mr. Caspino, we are not going to comment publicly while the legal process is ongoing.”
The NFL declined comment on the matter, in response to an email from PFT.