Michael Bidwill

MICHAEL BIDWILL, 58, is the third generation in his family to own the Cardinals, the oldest continuously run professional football franchise. Founded in 1898 on Chicago's South Side as the Morgan Athletic Club, in 1920 the Cardinals were a charter member of the league that became the NFL. They moved to St. Louis in 1960 and Arizona in 1988. Bidwill worked as a federal prosecutor in Arizona until joining the Cardinals as general counsel in 1996. He took control of team management decisions from his father, Bill, in 2007 after he successfully lobbied state and local governments to build State Farm Stadium. He became team owner after the elder Bidwill died in 2019. AT LEAST FOUR former Cardinals employees interviewed by ESPN in 2023 said their mental health was negatively affected by working for the team and what they said were Bidwill's profane tirades over the years. Some said they had to seek treatment for depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress after working for the team. Former Cardinals COO Ron Minegar, who left the team in 2020 after two decades, said about Bidwill: "He's a yeller. He's just miserable to people. There is a deep culture problem, and in my mind it emanates from one source."