McDonough accuses Bidwill, Cards of defamation, invasion of privacy - ESPN

Terry McDonough, the former vice president of player development for the Arizona Cardinals, is accusing the team and its owner, Michael Bidwill, of defamation and invasion of privacy after comments the team posted on its website and distributed to the media last month.

The new allegations are part of an amended arbitration complaint submitted Friday to Jeffrey Mishkin, the arbitrator selected by the NFL to hear the dispute between McDonough and the Cardinals.

The Cardinals and Bidwill «publicly disclosed private facts about McDonough» and made «false and defamatory statements about McDonough» that the team knew «to be false» as part of an «effort to intimidate and harass him and his family members,» according to the complaint obtained by ESPN.

«We are aware of the amended complaint and remain confident in our position,» the Cardinals said in a statement. «We are precluded from commenting further based on an existing confidentiality order that binds all parties.»

McDonough previously accused Bidwill of gross misconduct — including cheating, discrimination and harassment — in an arbitration claim sent to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on April 4.

In response, the Cardinals issued a denial through external public relations adviser Jim McCarthy of CounterPoint Strategies. It stated that the team had «learned of disturbing allegations of extreme domestic violence by Terry» and that McDonough had «abandoned responsibility» to «one of his children and had cut her off financially.»

That multipage statement, provided to ESPN and other media outlets, was «untrue and reprehensible,» according to McDonough's amended complaint.

McDonough and his attorney, Michael Caspino, declined to be interviewed, citing NFL arbitration