Giants Assistant Coach Bret Bielema Files Lawsuit Against Arkansas Razorback Foundation

Bielema is seeking the remainder of the buyout money that was included in his contract while the school claims he didn't fulfill his contractual obligations to be eligible for the remaining money.

Bret Bielema, an assistant coach on Joe Judge’s staff, has filed a $7 million lawsuit against the Arkansas Razorback Foundation, according to a report by Variety’s sister outlet Sportico.

Bielema, who served as the head football coach at Arkansas from 2012-17, contends that the foundation breached a contractual obligation to pay him a $12 million buyout after he was fired by the school in November 2017 after a 48-45 loss to Missouri which dropped Arkansas to a 4-8 record.

Here's the cover sheet of Bret Bielema vs the Razorback Foundation Inc., a $7,025,000 lawsuit Bielema's lawyers filed today in federal court in Arkansas. It's regarding "breach of head coach buyout agreement" from Bielema's firing. pic.twitter.com/uG2kHr9iMp

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 12, 2020

The foundation, which per The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, stopped its monthly payments of Bielema's buyout after paying more than $4 million, countered that the 50-year-old Bielema wasn't making a reasonable enough effort to actively seek a compatible position as per the terms of his agreement in which his new salary would have been deducted from the amount owed to him.

In July 2018, Bielema joined Bill Belichick’s Patriots staff as a consultant, a position that, according to The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, was of a voluntary nature.

The following season, Bielema was named the Patriots defensive line coach. This year, he was hired by Giants head coach (and former Patriots coaching colleague) Joe Judge to be a senior advisor and outside linebackers coach for the Giants. 

Not long after being hired by the Giants, Bielema reportedly interviewed for the Colorado head coaching job that ultimately went to Karl Dorrell.