Bidwill: Cardinals work remotely, plan for draft amid coronavirus shutdown
Mar 27, 2020, 11:02 AM | Updated: 3:12 pm
General manager Steve Keim (R) of the Arizona Cardinals talks with president Michael Bidwill before the NFL game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at State Farm Stadium on December 08, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwill noted that the team facility and offices have been shut down for a while as coronavirus has disrupted the personal and professional lives of many across the globe.
“We made a lot of news with signing free agents and the trade with DeAndre Hopkins, but I like to say the real stars of March and our spring were our IT department,” Bidwill said on KTAR News’ The Mike Broomhead Show. “The technology department of the Cardinals, amazingly within about a week and a half, got us completely online as a business. So we’re all working virtually.
“We’re going to stay that way. I’ve told our staff that’s the way it’s going to be until at least the end of April and that they work remotely.”
The virus pandemic has forced the team to cancel some of its community outreach events and appearances. But the Cardinals are staying active in response to the crisis, like their blood drive scheduled for Tuesday at State Farm Stadium that already has filled all of its appointments in less than 24 hours.
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Still, general manager Steve Keim and his staff have a job to do. The NFL confirmed Thursday that the draft will proceed as scheduled on April 23 to 25. The front office already navigated a busy free agency period while working remotely, and the intention is to do so again with the draft.
Arizona will pick eighth overall.
“It’s going to change, but it’s going to stay on schedule,” Bidwill said of the draft. “So in about four weeks, we’re going to have the draft. It’s going to be a TV event. We won’t have large crowds gathering. It was scheduled to be taking place in Las Vegas. So it’s just going to be a TV event.
“All the teams have been told to continue to prepare. So in speaking to Steve Keim, he and his group of scouts and personnel executives, with our IT department, they’re doing their draft preparations meeting and doing them all virtually. So it’s going to be a different way that we prepare, but we feel we will be prepared, just like we were in free agency because we were working virtually. And with the offices shut during free agency … we executed against that very well.”
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