Bret Bielema Files $7M Lawsuit Against Razorback Foundation over Arkansas Buyout

Former Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema filed a $7 million lawsuit against the Arkansas Razorback Foundation for unpaid wages related to a $12 million buyout when he was fired by the school in 2017.

Michael McCann of Variety reported Friday the Razorback Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm of the school's athletic department, argued Bielema didn't fulfill the "duty to mitigate" portion of the agreement and ceased making payments to him as of January 2019.

Razorback Foundation attorney Marshall Ney told McCann it had previously requested Bielema return the over $4.5 million it had already paid him after discovering "multiple material breaches of the agreement."

The baseline argument surrounds whether Bielema made a concerted effort to obtain new employment that would have helped offset payments the foundation would have owed him.

After leaving Arkansas, he joined the New England Patriots staff in 2018 as a consultant to head coach Bill Belichick. There are conflicting reports about the nature of that position and whether it was a volunteer role for a period of time, per McCann. He then joined the Pats staff as a defensive line coach in 2019.

The New York Giants hired Bielema in January as an outside linebackers coach and senior defensive assistant.

Dan Wolken of USA Today reported the 50-year-old Illinois native made $350,000 across his two years with the Patriots and is scheduled to make $400,000 annually with the Giants. Those figures are far below the typical salary of a college football head coach in a Power 5 conference.

Bielema's agent, Neil Cornrich, also reached out to representatives from Boston College, Florida Atlantic, Rutgers and South Florida about head coaching vacancies since leaving Arkansas, per McCann. Those claims, if proved true, could hurt Arkansas' argument the coach hasn't been seeking more high-paying employment.

The Variety sports law reporter predicted the sides will eventually reach a settlement to avoid a trial in the case.

"Bielema's lawsuit likely won't be resolved for months," McCann wrote. "Even in normal times, contract litigation can take a long time. There are several stages of litigation, including time allotted for motions and pretrial discovery. The COVID-19 pandemic only elongates the timeline, with courts limiting operations and postponing hearings."

Before taking the Arkansas job, Bielema spent seven years as head coach at Wisconsin.