The Arizona Cardinals find themselves embroiled in controversy as Brittany Neuheisel, a former assistant to team owner Michael Bidwill, filed a lawsuit alleging harassment and verbal abuse. Neuheisel claims that Bidwill harassed her relentlessly in an attempt to force her departure from the team. The lawsuit, filed by Neuheisel’s California-based attorney, accuses Bidwill of wanting to replace her with someone "young, beautiful, and athletic." The Cardinals have denied the allegations and are preparing to defend themselves.
The lawsuit paints a troubling picture of Neuheisel's working conditions. She alleges that Bidwill subjected her to daily verbal abuse and made several inappropriate requests. Among these were demands that she make false claims, including shipping a firearm through FedEx despite restrictions. Neuheisel claims that when she voiced concerns, Bidwill instructed her to "proceed with the shipment" regardless.
"Do it and then go to confession," – Michael Bidwill
Neuheisel also alleges that Bidwill compelled her to provide false information on federal and international forms concerning his private plane travel. The lawsuit underscores a pattern of harassment, with Neuheisel stating that Bidwill's demeaning behavior was a constant during her tenure with the Cardinals.
In one particularly disturbing allegation, Neuheisel asserts that Bidwill told her to disavow her family, claiming it would negatively impact her work performance. The breaking point came nine days ago when Bidwill reportedly screamed at Neuheisel for over half an hour, leading to her departure from the team.
Following her exit, the Cardinals hired a new assistant who fits the profile that Bidwill allegedly sought: "young, beautiful, and athletic." Neuheisel contends that this move effectively diminished her role within the organization.
The Cardinals' spokesman has confirmed receiving an email from the plaintiff's lawyer threatening legal action unless a substantial sum was paid promptly.
"Earlier this week, the Cardinals received an email from a California-based plaintiff's lawyer," – Cardinals spokesman
"In it, he threatened to file a lawsuit unless the team agreed to his demand for a substantial amount of money by 5:00PM the next day," – Cardinals spokesman
Despite these claims, Mike Caspino, representing Neuheisel, stated that pre-litigation settlement discussions are common practice.
"We always engage in pre-litigation settlement discussions," – Mike Caspino
This lawsuit is not the first time the Cardinals have faced allegations of workplace culture issues. Earlier this year, Terry McDonough, the team's former vice president of player personnel, accused the organization of discrimination and harassment. In response, an NFL arbitrator ordered the Cardinals to pay McDonough $3 million for making "false and defamatory" statements about him to the media.
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