BIDWILL HOSPITALIZED
Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill is hospitalized on the East Coast with COVID-19, the team confirmed to
The Arizona Republic on Friday.
Bidwill had been traveling in the east the past several weeks, the team said. He wasn't feeling well earlier this week, with a headache and fever, and he tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
After a physician's recommendation, he admitted himself into a hospital in Rhode Island to monitor his symptoms. Those symptoms have subsided, and he is expecting to be released this weekend, per the team.
Because Bidwill has been on the East Coast for a few weeks, the team believes he did not contract the virus in Arizona and instead caught it while traveling. Even prior to spending the last three weeks on the East Coast, Bidwill had been working remotely since March. There is no concern that he may have spread it to any Cardinals players or coaches, per the team.
Arizona has seen 116,892 total cases, including 4,221 new cases reported Friday, and a spike over the last few weeks. In Rhode Island, Friday's coronavirus update was 45 new cases, bring the state total to 17,312 cases, according to the Rhode Island Department of Health.
Bidwill, 55, has been president of the family-owned team since 2007, after previously serving as vice president and general counsel. His father and previous team owner, Bill, passed away in October.
Giving back to coronavirus efforts
Both Bidwill and the Cardinals have found a number of ways to give back to the Arizona community since March.
Bidwill donated $1 million to the AZ Coronavirus Relief Fund in March, one of the largest donations to the fund, which raised more than $8 million early on to support efforts in the state.
"As a team, we will continue to work on additional ways to make a difference and know that as a community we will get through this challenging time together," Bidwill said in a statement.
The Cardinals used State Farm Stadium for multiple pop-up blood drives earlier this year, with appointments to balance the need for donations with the need for social distancing.
"We're going to to use State Farm Stadium for the things that will help benefit the community right now," Bidwill said March 31, after donating blood that day.
The team held two more blood drives in April. Players have made individual donations as well, both monetary and of meals.
Training camp on the horizon
The team is scheduled to open training camp July 28.
While the NFL is making a number of adjustments for camp, so far, no dates have been pushed back.
An executive order from Gov. Doug Ducey has prohibited public gathers of 50 or more until at least July 27. That order would end just one day before training camp, but Ducey said that should not affect professional sports regardless.
"I don't think anything has changed in terms of if a professional league wanted to play," Ducey said in a press conference June 29 announcing the order. "It would be about the participation from a fan basis at this point in time."