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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.

Patricia Traina

Giants Assistant Coach Bret Bielema Files Lawsuit Against Arkansas Razorback Foundation
Giants Assistant Coach Bret Bielema Files Lawsuit Against Arkansas Razorback Foundation /

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.

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.  

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for over 30 seasons for multiple media outlets, including Inside Football, Fan Sided, SB Nation, The Athletic, Forbes, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated).  In addition to being a credentialed member of the New York Giants press corps, Patricia has covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. Patricia’s late father was a long-time New York Giants season ticket holder who helped instill her love and appreciation of the game and the franchise at a very early age.  She was able to parlay that knowledge of Giants franchise history into her first published work, The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants (Triumph Books, September 2020). She has enhanced her knowledge of the game by completing two semesters with the Scouting Academy and taking a course in NFL salary cap management. In addition to her work with Giants Country, Patricia is the host of the very successful LockedOn Giants podcast (also available on YouTube), featuring analysis, interviews, and Giants fan interaction. Patricia is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America and has participated in the mentoring of aspiring journalists. Patricia holds a Bachelor’s degree in English literature (with a minor in creative writing) and a Master’s degree in Corporate Communication. She is a certified resume development specialist (corporate, military transition, and federal) and interview coach who enjoys music and creating fan art featuring her favorite bands. 

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