Arizona Cardinals President Michael Bidwill vouches for SCOTUS pick, drawing backlash from some fans

Show Caption Hide Caption Republic Reporters discuss President Trump's Supreme Court nomination Reporters from The Arizona Republic talk about President Trump's Supreme Court nomination.

Arizona Cardinals President Michael Bidwill went to prep school with Judge Brett Kavanaugh and was among the classmates who sent a letter to ranking U.S. senators to vouch for his character.

President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Kavanaugh to the high court during a primetime ceremony at the White House.

About an hour later, Arizona's NFL team tweeted out a story that carried the headline, "Michael Bidwill Backs Classmate For Supreme Court."

The tweet drew a backlash from fans who said it was inappropriate for the team to weigh in on a divisive, political issue.

The article was written by a writer for the team's website, Azcardinals.com. The story recounted Bidwill's decades-long friendship with Kavanaugh, and quoted from a letter he and other Georgetown Prep alumni emailed to Senate leaders to vouch for Kavanaugh's professional talent and personal character.

Bidwill and three other classmates led the effort to reconnect with classmates and send the letter, the Azcardinals.com story said.

Bidwill, a political power player who frequently takes active roles alongside Republicans like Gov. Doug Ducey — and not so long ago, U.S. Sen. John McCain — waded into a divisive nomination Monday evening.

The tweet from the Cardinals account drew swift condemnation by dozens of followers, who said the team should keep politics out of football. It was "liked" more than 200 times as of 7:30 p.m. Monday.

“I’ve known him for more than 37 years.”



Cardinals President Michael Bidwill attended high school with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.https://t.co/LotJ1xqSWp — Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) July 10, 2018

The Arizona Republic could not reach a team spokesman Monday evening.

"Hey, wait," wrote a Twitter follower with the name, Rum Doodle. "I thought we were supposed to keep politics out of sport?"

Wrote Erick Fernandez, "Why the bloody hell is the Arizona Cardinals social media account tweeting this? This is completely insane."

Why the bloody hell is the Arizona Cardinals social media account tweeting this?



This is completely insane. https://t.co/GrRlu9wT1m — Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) July 10, 2018

Wrote Adam Schallenberger: "I love you guys but gotta delete this."

I love you guys but gotta delete this. — Adam Schallenberger (@ASchallenberger) July 10, 2018

Wrote AwesomeBamon, "Ummm, what is an NFL account doing tweeting about the SCOTUS pick?"

Mark Willard responded to the team tweet, "An owner. On team platforms. Tough blow to the ole 'stick to sports' crowd."

An owner. On team platforms.



Tough blow to the ole "stick to sports" crowd. https://t.co/dpmXRQmgrg — Mark Willard (@Mark_T_Willard) July 10, 2018

And ESPN reporter Jemele Hill, a vocal critic to the NFL's handling of players' decision to kneel during the National Anthem, also weighed in on the Cardinals' tweet and story.

"Owners to players: Stay out of politics," she wrote on Twitter. "It’s hurting the bottom line."

Owners to players: Stay out of politics. It’s hurting the bottom line.



Also owners: https://t.co/VSZHKEpwse — Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) July 10, 2018

The classmates' letter about Kavanaugh recounted his professional credentials, and dedication to others outside of work. It concluded that the senators would soon decide he is an "excellent jurist who is singularly qualified" for the U.S. Supreme Court.

"We represent a broad spectrum of achievements, vocations, political beliefs, family histories and personal lifestyles," said the letter, which was posted on social media by a sports reporter. "We unite in our common belief that Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh is a good man, a brilliant jurist, and is eminently qualified to serve as an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court."

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