Bret Bielema suing Arkansas for $7 million in unpaid wages

Former Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema says the school still owes him a lot of money, and he is suing in an attempt to get it.

According to court documents obtained by Sportico, Bielema has filed a $7 million lawsuit against the Arkansas Razorbacks Foundation. The New York Giants assistant says Arkansas breached a contractual obligation to pay him $11.9 million after he was fired, as stated in the terms of his buyout agreement. Bielema claims the school paid $4.3 million from January 2018 but stopped paying earlier this year and is demanding that money back.

Michael McCann of Variety explained the lawsuit in great detail, but essentially Bielema’s buyout stated that he would continue to be paid as long as he made reasonable efforts to find employment elsewhere. Had he landed another coaching job, any income he earned would be deducted from the amount Arkansas owed him.

Bielema took a job on Bill Belichick’s coaching staff with the New England Patriots in July 2018. One issue for Arkansas appears to stem from a report in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that claimed Beilema “volunteered” for the position with the Patriots, though Sportico has learned Bielema was compensated. There is also language in the buyout agreement that states he could earn up to $150,000 without it being deducted from what Arkansas owed him.

Given the manner in which Bielema was fired by Arkansas, it is hardly a surprise that there is now a lawsuit pending.