What happened to Terry McDonough? Why are Cardinals paying ex-VP $3,000,000 in damages?

Terry McDonough will get a significant payment from his former employer, the Arizona Cardinals. An NFL arbitrator has awarded the former Cardinals executive $3 million for "false and defamatory" statements the Cardinals made about him to the media.

This report is detailed in a 62-page decision dated March 29, 2024. The Roger Goodell appointed arbitrator Jeffrey Mishkin determined that the Arizona Cardinals and their owner, Michael Bidwill, maliciously defamed McDonough.

The statements made by Bidwill and the Cardinals were said to accuse McDonough of neglecting his disabled adult daughter and spousal abuse, two accusations that McDonough vehemently denied.

Following the $3,000,000 arbitration award, McDonough's attorney, Mike Caspino released a statement that stated:

"Despite what we consider to be a fundamentally unfair arbitration process, Terry McDonough is the first person ever to win against an NFL owner. Why the NFL has not held Michael Bidwill accountable remains a mystery."

The Cardinals released a statement

Following the ruling, the Arizona Cardinals released a statement regarding their feelings about the award. The statement reads:

"We are pleased with the arbitrator's decision dismissing all of Terry McDonough's employment claims and finding that there was nothing improper about his dismissal from the team."

The team accepted the responsibility for their initial statement:

"As for Mr. McDonough's other claim, we respect the arbitrator's determination that our initial statement went too far. We accept responsibility for that statement and are grateful that the arbitration is now resolved."

The Cardinals can now focus on preparing for the 2024 NFL Draft, which will be paramount for their ongoing rebuild. The team ended the 2024 season with a 4-13 record and missed the postseason for the umpteenth time. They will be looking to make improvements via a stacked 2024 NFL Draft, especially in the wide receiver position.

A breakdown of the $3,000,000 to be paid to Terry McDonough

Ahead of the procedure, Terry McDonough sought $15 million in lost future earnings, $10 million for reputational harm, $10 million for emotional distress, and $60 million to $90 million in punitive damages.

However, the former executive was awarded $600,000 in damages for emotional distress caused by the defamatory statements, $150,000 in general damages for "the harm to his reputation" caused by the defamatory statements, and $2.25 million in punitive damages.

This puts an end to one of the most contentious battles between an NFL executive and his former team in recent memory.