Cardinals coach Steve Wilks vouched for the character of rookie wide receiver and former Scottsdale Saguaro High School standout Christian Kirk following news that Kirk was arrested in Scottsdale in February.
On Monday, Scottsdale police confirmed Kirk and his friend were arrested for criminal damage and disorderly conduct outside the WM Phoenix Open in February. According to police reports, Kirk and his friend were seen throwing rocks at vehicles near Hayden Road and Mayo Drive, and both men appeared to be intoxicated upon arrest.
In a statement Monday, the Cardinals confirmed they were aware of Kirk's arrest before they selected him in the second round of last month's NFL Draft. After the team's voluntary workout Tuesday, Wilks confirmed the team was aware of Kirk's arrest, but he didn't offer any details about what Kirk told the team about it.
"We did our own independent research on it, and we felt very good about the information that we received, and that’s why we moved forward and drafted him," Wilks said. "As I stated before, we want to bring in great-character guys, and I think Christian is one of those guys."
With Kirk and his friend still facing a court date regarding their arrest, Wilks declined to comment further.
"I think the situation is going to resolve itself here in a couple of months," he said. "With it still being an ongoing legal issue, I’m not going to go into it any further than that."
The 21-year-old Kirk was selected by the Cardinals with the 47th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. A Scottsdale native, Kirk was rated by ESPN as the third-best wide receiver in the 2018 draft class.
