Former Arizona Cardinals executive Terry McDonough accused of choking neighbor over farm equipment

Terry McDonough, a former executive with the Arizona Cardinals, is in legal trouble after his neighbor accused him of choking him during an argument about lawn care and farm equipment.

McDonough, who worked as the Cardinals vice president of player personnel, now lives in North Carolina and he faces a court date, April 11 to answer to a simple assault charge. The alleged choking incident happened during a disagreement on March 12.

The neighbor filed a criminal affidavit with Mecklenburg County. He said that McDonough was upset about how a tractor damaged his lawn. In the affidavit, the man said that the former Cardinals executive “has a history of volatile behavior and also (was) publicized in national news related to a case he has with the Arizona Cardinals. He tried to strangle me unprovoked and both me and my family do not feel safe.”

The neighbor also indicated that McDonough screamed obscenities at him and two other lawncare workers.

However, McDonough’s lawyer, Michael Caspino, described a different version of what happened. In a statement to The Athletic, Caspino described the neighbor’s accusation as a “a joke.“ He said that the neighbor “ran a tractor across Terry’s lawn tearing it up and Terry yelled at him and didn’t touch him.”

McDonough accused Cardinals owner of breach of contract

McDonough left the Cardinals last year. He worked for the team since 2013. Usually, NFL fans are not that familiar with front office executives. But McDonough made national headlines when he accused Cardinals owner Michael Bidwell of wrongdoing.

It all started when the Cardinals suspended then-General Manager Steve Keim in 2019 after a DUI charge. The club assessed a five-week suspension. However, McDonough said that he was given a burner phone so that he could communicate with Keim while he was not allowed in the team complex.

McDonough said Bidwill demoted him after he objected to using the phone to circumvent the suspension. He filed for arbitration with the NFL, accusing Bidwill of breach of contract and retaliation against a whistleblower. In addition, he said he suffered from the team’s intentional infliction of emotional distress and defamation.