Report says Bielema trying to block buyout info

According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, former Arkansas coach Bret Bielema’s buyout with Arkansas is not final yet.

In their story Friday, the newspaper reported:

Bielema, fired last month at the conclusion of a 4-8 season, requested that Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge issue an opinion on whether his agreement with the Razorback Foundation can be withheld from release under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, university spokesman Mark Rushing said.

The University of Arkansas System had planned to make the document public after locating it in its legal office and determining that it was a releasable record, Rushing said.

The system gave Bielema three days to make the request after it determined that the record was releasable under open-record laws. Public employees can seek attorney general rulings for documents that are considered to be “personnel or evaluation records.” Bielema’s deadline was Thursday.

The newspaper has been seeking information about Bielema’s buyout since October. He was the highest-paid state employee.

Exactly why Bielema is seeking to have the information kept secret is not known. Everybody is dodging the topic like a rattlesnake in the living room on Christmas morning.

The amount of the buyout reported by ESPN, citing a single source, was $11.9 million which is close to the amount remaining on Bielema’s contract.

If that is the case, Bielema was given a contract that was basically fully guaranteed in 2014 when former athletics director Jeff Long amended the coach’s deal.

According to the published report, negotiations are continuing as late as Wednesday:

As of Wednesday, Bielema and the Razorback Foundation continued to negotiate a release agreement that would finalize several unresolved issues, including his buyout amount, officials said. The foundation, funded by donors, will pay Bielema’s buyout, Rushing has said previously.

Bielema was fired Nov. 24 after a 4-8 season with the Razorbacks that lowered his record over five seasons to 29-34 overall and 11-29.

His overall winning percentage was tied with Danny Ford (1993-97) for the lowest overall percentage while in the league, Bielema had the worst winning percentage of any coach since the Hogs joined the SEC in 1992.