On the same day the Cardinals hit a franchise low with a ninth straight home loss, the team found itself facing another legal fight.
Former executive assistant Kendra Hogue and former assistant coach Don Shumpert filed a joint lawsuit in Arizona state court on May 26 against the Cardinals, Michael Bidwill and others, according to Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic. The suit includes claims of racial discrimination, retaliation, defamation and constructive termination.
The defendants moved the case to federal court on June 1. Then, on September 19, federal judge John Hinderaker sent the matter to arbitration, with the Commissioner selecting the arbitrator.
That ruling puts the case into the familiar NFL arbitration system, where disputes against teams are often routed away from open court. Whether that system holds up continues to be a live issue, with courts increasingly taking a harder look at mandatory arbitration clauses that steer cases toward the league’s preferred process.
Hinderaker was appointed to the bench by President Trump during his first term. Arizona sits in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, a court with a history of pro-worker rulings, which could matter later if the plaintiffs challenge the arbitration setup before a three-judge panel.
The Cardinals are already no strangers to the litigation tied to the league’s broader arbitration battles. The team is also a defendant in the Brian Flores case because of the firing of coach Steve Wilks after just one season.
That case followed the same early path. A federal judge enforced the NFL’s arbitration clause at the start, but more than four years later, most of the Flores claims are headed for open court rather than the league’s chosen arbitrator.
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Cardinals Just Made A Marvin Harrison Jr. Decision Fans Cant Ignore
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Head coach Mike LaFleur framed the move as one made in the best interest of the club, and he also took responsibility for Harrisons performance while in Arizona. LaFleur stopped short of getting into Harrisons side of the story or the finer points of the trade, leaving the most important part of the fallout still hanging as the Cardinals try to explain what this means for their future. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Crisis Is Putting Two Big Plans Under The Microscope
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Jacoby Brissett remains at the center of the conversation, because the offense has not done enough to ease the pressure on a defense that keeps getting pushed around. With quarterback changes and defensive fixes both now under the microscope, Arizona is facing the kind of week that can either clarify the plan or make the uncertainty around it even louder. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Put Their Receiver Room And Team Direction On Notice
The Cardinals receiver room changed in a hurry during Sundays game, when Marv Harrison Jr. was dealt to the Houston Texans as Arizona shuffled targets and playing time to other wideouts. The move came after a season in which Harrison had been lightly used, and it immediately altered the look of a position group that had already been under a microscope.
Head coach Mike LaFleur said the decision was made in the best interest of the club and acknowledged Harrisons contributions, but he did not get into the specifics of how the deal came together. For a team trying to define both its present and future, the trade sent a clear message that the Cardinals are willing to reset parts of the roster even in the middle of a game. [Read more 🡒]