Former Razorback head football coach Bret Bielema is suing the Razorback Foundation for $7 million which he says is owed to him as part of the buyout agreement following his 2017 firing.
The Foundation, the third-party guarantor of Bielema’s buyout, alleges the coach did not live up to the terms of the buyout agreement by not actively seeking comparable employment, the monthly salary from which would count against what the Foundation owed the former head Hog. Bielema was fired for convenience in November 2017 after compiling five-year record of 29-34 overall and 11-29 in the Southeastern Conference.
Bielema eventually accepted a job as consultant for the New England Patriots before being moved to assistant defensive line coach. This fall, he is set to begin his first season as defensive line coach for the New York Giants. Last year, Bielema’s name was mentioned in connection with prominent college coaching jobs, including Colorado and Rutgers, but only after the Foundation stopped its monthly payments.
The Foundation stopped payments in January 2019. Bielema’s $11.9 buyout was negotiated under former Arkansas athletic director and current Kansas AD Jeff Long. The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal district court in Fayetteville, is seeking $7.025 million and a jury trial.
