GLENDALE – Arizona Cardinals Owner Michael Bidwill’s decision to fine Head Coach Jonathan Gannon after the Emari Demercado situation, wasn’t just league gossip, it was an alarm bell.
Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona owner Bidwill reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Senior NFL Insider for The Athletic and NY Times, Diana Russini, posted on her X account that multiple NFL executives were quietly questioning Bidwill’s tactics. This whole incident has come after one of the most embarrassing losses in the Cardinals’ franchise history. The moment when Emari Demercado celebrated too early and dropped the ball before the goal line sent shockwaves on the Cardinals’ sideline, including Jonathan Gannon verbally and physically getting in Demercado’s face, and even hitting him on the chest.
Arizona owner Bidwill talks with head coach Jonathan Gannon before playing against the New York Jets at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Nov. 10, 2024. © Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Anonymous NFL Executive calls out Cardinals Owner Michael Bidwill:
Bidwill’s choice to discipline Cardinals Head Coach Jonathan Gannon is obviously making shockwaves not just internally, but is creating visible issues that other NFL franchises have noticed. Russini mentioned that one anonymous NFL executive claimed, “The owner cut his balls off in front of his entire team.” The fact that seasoned NFL executives are speaking anonymously with those types of comments suggests organizational instability masked as accountability..
Jonathan Gannon apologized for his sideline confrontation with Cardinals RB Emari Demercado.
But the NFL was buzzing, and people I spoke with largely disapproved of Arizona’s decision to fine their head coach.https://t.co/UuF6sTY8hX pic.twitter.com/0VszhDZfHN
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) October 11, 2025
Cardinals Head Coach Jonathan Gannon, hired in 2023, is still early in his leadership arc. Though his foundation that he is trying to build only matters if ownership backs it. If not, development stalls and trust erodes. Executives talking now means this isn’t just an Arizona story. It’s a league-wide alarming signal that these issues show the problems the Cardinals are having are bigger institutional ones, and more than just the problems with the on-field product.
Sep 14, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona owner Bidwill prior to the game against the Carolina Panthers at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
It’s not the fine that rattles insiders, it’s the message. When coaches typically get fined, it’s typically public, structured, and collective. A private penalty issued by the team, undermines not only Gannon’s authority but the team’s unity. Why this truly matters for Cardinals fans is that the starvation for consistency and credibility is apparent, and this behind-the-scenes fracture has real implications for the team’s trajectory, both locally and across the league.
Arizona fans calling for Cardinals Owner Michael Bidwill to sell the team
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Reporter Benjamin Bliklen covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @BenBliklen
