Cardinals’ president Michael Bidwill tight-lipped on Daryl Washington situation

By Vince Marotta | May 11, 2017 at 8:21 am
UPDATED: May 11, 2017 at 10:28 am

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington (58) argues with an official during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012,in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals won 20-16. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Members of the Arizona Cardinals front office and coaching staff have been asked a lot of questions about linebacker Daryl Washington over the last three years.

Since Washington was conditionally reinstated by the NFL last month, the frequency of those questions has increased.

The amount of information in the answers hasn’t.

Washington, who hasn’t played a snap in an NFL game since December of 2013, has been suspended since May of 2014 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy for a second time.

Team president Michael Bidwill is, of course, very much involved with Washington’s future in Arizona, and the Cardinals have a decision to make on the former Pro Bowl linebacker. In fact, according to head coach Bruce Arians, who spoke to the media Wednesday at a charity event in Phoenix, the decision is ultimately Bidwill’s.

“With regard to Daryl, we’re going to make the best decision for the Arizona Cardinals,” Bidwill told Doug and Wolf Thursday on 98.7 FM, Arizona’s Sports Station. “We’ve got a process that, I’ve said before, is not going to be a 30-minute meeting. We’re going to have a more thorough process, so we make the best decision for the Arizona Cardinals Football Club.”

Washington reportedly met with Cardinals’ brass earlier in the week, marking the first time there’s been contact between the player and team since the suspension was handed out three years ago. The fact that Bidwill is talking about a thorough process in vetting Washington could indicate that the initial conversation went well, but he wasn’t willing to admit that.

“What I will say is that I didn’t think this would be a 30-minute meeting and that would be the end of the process,” Bidwill said. “There were a lot more things that we wanted to consider, so that’s what we’ve done.”

Cardinals’ OTAs (organized team activities) begin May 16 at the team’s training facility in Tempe. It’s not known if an announcement on Washington will be made before they commence.

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