MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on during warm-ups prior to Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)This has been a rough year for Bill Belichick, to say the least. Well, he better buckle up because it’s about to get worse before it gets better.
Prior to the start of the 2018 season, Belichick hired Bret Bielema as a defensive consultant. He was then promoted to defensive line coach the following year.
Bielema ended up leaving the Patriots to become the outside linebackers coach for the Giants in 2020, but Belichick must now deal with some consequences for the way his team compensated Bielema.
According to Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic, the University of Arkansas has subpoenaed Belichick as part of an ongoing lawsuit between the school and its former head coach.
The Razorback Foundation claims that Bielema’s camp allegedly conspired with the Patriots to pay an overqualified coach a salary way below his market. This was allegedly done so Arkansas could still pay Bielema’s buyout.
The University of Arkansas athletics fundraising arm has subpoenaed Bill Belichick for document’s related to the Pats past employment of coach Bret Bielema. The former Ark HC is engaged in a nasty lawsuit with the funding arm, the Razorback Foundation https://t.co/xmncw83qWH
— Daniel Kaplan (@KaplanSportsBiz) November 5, 2020
Bielema’s contract with Arkansas required him to receive a high salary in order for them to avoid paying his buyout. He reportedly made $125,000 in 2018, which doesn’t hit that requirement.
Even though Arkansas actually stopped paying Bielema’s buyout back in January, it’s pretty clear this problem will linger for the rest of the year.
Belichick is usually considered a man of few words, but he’ll have a lot of explaining to do when he arrives to court.
