| Tuesday, May 21, 2019 |  |
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| Students, others encouraged to read 2019 Maroon Edition book, 'Hold on with a Bulldog Grip' | |
 | All Mississippi State students, employees and community members are encouraged to include the university's Maroon Edition book, "Hold on with a Bulldog Grip," in their summer reading selections. The book is being made available to incoming freshman students and transfers in their summer Orientation packets, and others can purchase the book at MSU's Barnes & Noble bookstore or through other booksellers. Purchases also can be made online from the University Press of Mississippi at www.upress.state.ms.us/books/2240. Released in April, the biography on the nation's 18th president was written by MSU and Grant Library historians John Marszalek, David Nolen and Louie Gallo, along with former Rhode Island Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank Williams. MSU's Center for Teaching and Learning oversees the selection of the Maroon Edition book. For more information, visit www.maroonedition.msstate.edu. |
| Steak 'n Shake to open location on Mississippi State campus this fall | |
 | A popular burger and fast food chain will soon open its first location in the Golden Triangle on the Mississippi State University campus. In a tweet on Thursday, the Mississippi State Office of Student Affairs shared a graphic of Steak n' Shake, which said "coming soon." Vice President of Student Affairs Regina Hyatt said the Steak 'n Shake will replace Burger King at Roberts Hall on B.S. Hood Road. The plan is to have the location open by the time students return for the fall semester. "We're very excited as well," Hyatt said of the anticipation expressed by many in the MSU community on social media. "Our dining partner Aramark is facilitating this. It's replacing the Burger King on campus, so it will go into that location." |
| Dyehard inks partnership with Mississippi State | |
 | Dyehard Fan Supply said Monday it has entered into a five-year agreement, beginning this fall, with Mississippi State University to merchandise Bulldog athletic products. Dyehard, an affiliate of Teall Capital, will become the official in-venue merchandising partner for Mississippi State Athletics for home athletic events that include football, men's and women's basketball and baseball. Dyehard will provide a full line of Adidas apparel and headwear, along with products from New Era, Columbia, Original Retro Brand, Peter Millar, Top of the World and Vineyard Vines. Dyehard has partnerships with Arkansas, Auburn, Columbia, UNC Chapel Hill, Michigan State, the Big East Conference, Rutgers and Pittsburgh. |
| Tourism plays key role in Mississippi's economy | |
 | When we think of economic drivers, we often think of work -- the number of jobs, the number of employees, and the amount of revenue and tax collections generated. But sometimes fun can drive the economy too. Tourism plays a key role in Mississippi's economy. Mississippi Public Universities play a key role in attracting visitors to our state and encouraging travel within the state. Universities host athletic events, arts events, exhibits, and other special events, like commencement exercises and conferences, that generate tourism and revenue for the state through hotel, restaurant and sales taxes. More than 2.4 million visitors attended athletic, arts and special events on the eight campuses during the 2018 fiscal year. In addition to athletic events, Mississippi Public Universities hold events and exhibits in the visual and performing arts that draw thousands to the campuses. |
| STORM CHASER: New13's Meteorologist Amanda Holly in Oklahoma for 'High Risk' storms | |
| News13's Meteorologist Amanda Holly is chasing storms today in the Great Plains, and you can follow her movements on Twitter. Amanda's out with a team from Mississippi State University, where she's working on her master's degree in applied meteorology. The storm chasing is part of her graduate course work, and professionals are on board to keep the crew extra safe. "We're up early, storms have been ongoing all night in the Texas panhandle producing large hail. Those will move in as the first round this morning," Amanda tweeted early Monday. The National Weather Service has forecast a significant tornado outbreak likely with long-track, fast-moving and intense tornadoes possible across parts of Texas and Oklahoma. Large hail and damaging winds also a concern, according to the NWS. |
| Starkville Area Arts Council offers solution to curb graffiti | |
 | Residents and employees from local businesses have said they are tired of seeing vandalism around Starkville. In the beginning of May, the Starkville Police Department said they saw a spike in graffiti symbols and signatures on dumpsters and other buildings. The Mayor's Office has since painted over that graffiti. Executive Director of the Starkville Area Arts Council, John Bateman, said in Starkville they're working with city administrators and other partners to paint murals and create public art around the city. The graffiti seen in the city is not art it's vandalism, he said. Bateman said it's important to have arts councils in communities like this because it enhances the quality of life. The Starkville Area Arts Council has upcoming art exhibits in the summer and they encourage anyone who's interested in art to attend the membership drive on June 6 to learn more information about the arts council and to join. |
| Gulfport casino falls victim to international cybercrime attack involving Russians, DOJ says | |
 | A Gulfport casino is among the American businesses targeted by a transnational cybercrime network that attempted to steal at least $100 million from victims around the world, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice. Federal authorities announced this week the dismantling of the criminal network that attempted to install viruses and gain access to personal banking accounts from tens of thousands of victims in the United States and Europe. The specific casino targeted in the attack is not identified in the 54-page indictment filed U.S. District Court in Western Pennsylvania, where several of the victims live. But it says the casino is in Gulfport, and Island View Casino is the only one in Gulfport. The Coast's other 11 casinos are in Biloxi, D'Iberville and Bay St. Louis. The attack on Victim 11 in Gulfport occurred around April 21, 2016, when the suspects gained access to the victim's account at People's Bank and attempted to steal $197,300 through four electronic fund transfers, the records say. The suspect made two successful electronic transfers totaling $185,00 from the victim's account. |
| New Mississippi economy scorecard shows upward trends for jobs and opportunities | |
| Those working to further improve Mississippi's numbers on future economy scorecards will tell you that workforce development is key. "There's never been a stronger focus on creating the type of workforce that's ready for today and the jobs of the future than now," said Mississippi Economic Council President and CEO Scott Waller. The Mississippi Economic Council hopes to see more schools and communities looking to the programs like ACT WorkKeys. While the ACT gauges college readiness, WorkKeys gauges career readiness. "WorkKeys is kind of like the foundational step," explained Waller. "Number one, it assesses where you are in your ability to enter the workforce. You then have to go get the additional training for whatever pathway you choose. But at least you have that foundation to build on." |
| Analysis: Mississippi will pay for career certifications | |
 | Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush may have been a failure as a presidential candidate in 2016, but he's still a success in Mississippi education policy. Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education was a prime mover behind a bill that Mississippi lawmakers passed almost unanimously earlier this year to pay public schools to turn out more career and technical students with industry certifications. The idea is for schools to be more responsive to the training needs of business and industry. A report released this month by the foundation and Burning Glass Technologies finds that Mississippi's career training efforts are in "low alignment" with the kinds of certifications that employers actually ask for when they're hiring people. |
| State representative arrested in George County | |
| State Rep. Douglas McLeod was arrested Sunday, records show. The 58-year-old Republican lawmaker was picked up after deputies responded to a report of a domestic incident Saturday night, according to the George County Sheriff Keith Havard. He was arrested on a charge of misdemeanor domestic violence and was booked into the county jail by the early-morning hours Sunday. He is out of jail on a $1,000 signature bond. Havard said the incident involved alleged spousal abuse. Other details had not yet been released Monday, though the Sun Herald requested the information. McLeod, of Lucedale, has been a state representative since 2012. His district encompasses residents in George, Jackson, Stone and Forrest counties. |
| Poll: Many Rural Americans Struggle With Financial Insecurity, Access To Health Care | |
 | Polling by NPR finds that while rural Americans are mostly satisfied with life, there is a strong undercurrent of financial insecurity that can create very serious problems for many people living in rural communities. The findings come from two surveys NPR has done with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health on day-to-day life and health in rural America. Several findings stand out: A substantial number (40%) of rural Americans struggle with routine medical bills, food and housing. And about half (49%) say they could not afford to pay an unexpected $1,000 expense of any type. |
| Ole Miss Student Union fully open for the first time since 2016 | |
 | The Ole Miss Student Union opened on Monday morning, over ten million dollars over budget and nearly a year late. A bookstore, coffee shop and conference rooms opened for the first time since the union closed for renovations in 2016. The expanded union also houses a food court, a ballroom and transit hub, which have been open since the fall semester of 2017. The expansion added 80,000 square feet to the building. "I'm relieved -- I think no one will be happier to answer the question of when the union will be open than I am now," Bradley Baker, director of the Ole Miss Student Union, said. "We want to get this right for the students. We owe it to them." The project was paid for using state funding, bonds and the capital improvement fees that students are required to pay. By November 2016, the previously-$50-million project was a $59 million project. The latest update prices it at just over $60 million. The original capital request to the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board in 2010 estimated a $42 million price tag on the project. |
| East Central Community College holds cost of tuition, room and board | |
 | The East Central Community College Board of Trustees approved its 2019-20 budget plan, which includes no increase in tuition or room and board for the upcoming academic year, the school announced Friday. One fee will increase and a new fee for proposed career and technical dual credit courses was added to the budget, according to a news release. "We are always pleased when we do not have to raise the cost of tuition, but especially this coming year as we have implemented increases the two previous years," ECCC President Billy Stewart said in a statement. The plan includes a $40 increase in the student activity fee, from $5 to $45, to support the college's wellness program and other student activities, according to the college. The Warrior Wellness initiative was created in 2016 and was supported through 2018 by two grants from the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, according to the college. The fee increase will help ECCC sustain the program, which provides a campus fitness center, a wellness coordinator, expanding intramural options, indoor and outdoor activity areas. |
| Northwest Mississippi Community College president shares training center concept | |
 | There is a need for more workforce training programs in Northwest Mississippi, according to the president of Northwest Mississippi Community College, and the school is in the early stages toward fulfilling that need. Dr. Michael Heindl, finishing his first year as the college's president, spoke to the Hernando Main Street Chamber of Commerce luncheon and described a concept he called Industry 4.0, which touches on many career programs the Senatobia school offers. Heindl pointed to what he called "stagnant enrollment" at the college to describe the need. "Our enrollment is stagnant and the reason for that is so many students are out working," Heindl pointed out. "We have a need and the need is for workforce training in our county." As the college looks to offer more workforce training, Heindl said NWCC is looking across the lake from the back of the DeSoto Center in Southaven as a spot where a future center might be located. |
| Another LSU fraternity kicked off campus for 4 years after police, university investigations | |
 | LSU has suspended another fraternity after years of turmoil within the university's Greek system including investigations, arrests and public outcry over hazing allegations. University officials confirmed this week that its Pi Kappa Phi chapter will be closed until May 2023 after LSU police issued misdemeanor charges last month against three members. The suspension means the university is forcing fraternity members out of their brick house on West Lakeshore Drive. And Pi Kappa Phi's national organization also suspended the chapter's charter during that same time period. Pi Kappa Phi has been on an interim suspension since last fall, though the chapter was also previously disciplined in fall 2017 --- just one month after the hazing death of freshman Phi Delta Theta pledge Max Gruver, which thrust LSU's Greek system into the national spotlight. |
| Artist, educator Gerry Snyder to lead U. of Arkansas School of Art | |
| Gerry Snyder, a longtime academic arts administrator also known for his studio work, will lead the University of Arkansas School of Art as it seeks to add programs and faculty after unprecedented gifts totaling $160 million in support of arts education. His hire, announced Monday, caps a search that began with a job announcement in October 2017 and then hit a setback when two finalists last year took jobs elsewhere. Since 2014, Snyder, 65, has been dean of the Pratt Institute School of Art, which has its main campus in Brooklyn, N.Y., and is home to a Master of Fine Arts program ranked in a tie for 15th nationally by U.S. News & World Report. Previously, Snyder was chief academic officer at Santa Fe University of Art and Design. He will begin July 1 as the first executive director of the UA School of Art, set to grow after a $120 million gift from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation. The gift was announced in August 2017 as the largest ever benefiting a U.S. university's art school. |
| UGA administrators respond to slave remains criticisms | |
 | Five University of Georgia administrators recently released a lengthy response to a faculty report criticizing the UGA administration's conduct in moving the remains of slaves buried in the path of a university construction project. An ad hoc committee of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Senate, an elected faculty legislative group, released its critical report in the Senate's last meeting of the year in April. Among other things, the ad hoc committee report concluded that the UGA administration owed apologies to the presumed descendants of the those disinterred from beneath a Baldwin Hall construction site and reburied in nearby Oconee Hill Cemetery. The university should also should apologize to faculty members intimidated by administrators after they spoke against the university's actions. |
| Colleges Have Anti-Drinking Rules on the Books, but Which Ones Actually Work? | |
 | If your college receives federal funds, you have -- or at least you should have -- alcohol policies on your website. But can students find them? Can they understand them? And, most important, which ones work? Four researchers investigated those questions for a group of 15 colleges and universities called the Maryland Collaborative to Reduce College Drinking and Related Problems. The scholars published their results in the latest issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. While there's been considerable study of how the off-campus climate affects students' drinking habits, the authors say they are trying to fill a void, offering insight about how effective various campus policies are. |
| Colleges see rise in popularity for emotional support animals | |
 | Most students know the list of items they can't bring into a university dormitory. They can't haul in their own beds. They can't set up a microwave. Candles usually aren't allowed. The family golden retriever would usually fall in this banned category. But no longer does that stop students from asking for emotional support animals -- requests for them have skyrocketed at colleges and universities nationwide. Washington State University's Access Center, which handles the needs of students with both psychological and physical disabilities, only fielded two or three requests for emotional support animals in 2011. Now the center gets 60 to 75 requests a year, said Meredyth Goodwin, its director. Misinformation and skepticism abound when it comes to both emotional support animals and service animals. How can college administrators differentiate from the student down the hall who needs to pet his cat to ease a panic attack versus the student who just wants to room with Fido? |
| Education Secretary Betsy DeVos experiment will open work-study to more private-sector jobs | |
| Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said Monday she will launch a pilot program allowing some colleges to use Federal Work-Study benefits for off-campus employment, including apprenticeships and clinical rotations. The experiment delivers, if on a limited scale, on repeated proposals by the Trump administration to reform the work-study program and connect student aid more directly to careers. It also marks DeVos's first use of the department's experimental sites authority, which allows the secretary to offer waivers to rules governing student aid programs in order to evaluate new policy ideas. Her announcement also noted that she would look to expand the number of colleges participating in the Second-Chance Pell experiment, which allows a limited number of incarcerated students to receive Pell Grants to attend college courses. A congressional ban on Pell Grants in prisons has been in place since 1994. The work-study experiment, though, is the clearest reflection of the Trump administration's ongoing priorities. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State's Jake Mangum wins Ferriss for the second time | |
| Mississippi State's Jake Mangum won the Ferriss Trophy on Monday after a dominant regular season at the top of the Bulldogs' lineup. Mangum also won the Ferriss as a freshman in 2016. The trophy is awarded to the top college baseball player in Mississippi. Mangum is the SEC's all-time hits leader with 370 in his four-year career. The senior is batting .375 this season with 20 doubles, 21 stolen bases and 18 strikeouts in 253 at-bats. His play has helped the Bulldogs to a 45-11 record this year, including a 20-10 mark in the SEC. The Bulldogs will be the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament that begins Tuesday in Hoover, Alabama. |
| Jake Mangum takes home 2019 C Spire Ferriss Trophy as state's top college baseball player | |
 | The months of May and June represent trophy time in college baseball. Mississippi State senior center-fielder Jake Mangum secured one Monday. Mangum won the C Spire Ferriss Trophy, given to the best collegiate baseball player in Mississippi, for the second time in his illustrious career. He earned the award as a freshman during the 2016 season to become the first player to ever win it twice. Mangum leads the No. 5 Bulldogs (45-11, 20-9 SEC) into postseason play this week in the SEC Tournament. After that, he and his teammates return home for the regional round of the NCAA Tournament starting May 31. Mississippi State should have home field advantage at Dudy Noble Field through the super regional round. That gives Mangum more opportunities rack up more hits and possibly more wins in a familiar environment. |
| Mississippi State's Ethan Small, JT Ginn win SEC honors | |
 | A pair of Mississippi State pitchers headline the Southeastern Conference baseball awards this season. Ethan Small was selected as the SEC Pitcher of the Year while teammate JT Ginn garnered SEC Freshman of the Year. The Bulldogs also had four players picked as first team All-SEC with Small, first baseman Tanner Allen, second baseman Justin Foscue and outfielder Jake Mangum. |
| 2019 SEC baseball awards announced | |
| The Southeastern Conference on Monday announced its 2019 Baseball Awards and All-SEC Teams, recognizing standout performances from this season. The 2019 SEC Baseball Tournament will be played Tuesday through Sunday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Vanderbilt's JJ Bleday was named the SEC Player of the Year, Mississippi State's Ethan Small is the SEC Pitcher of the Year, Mississippi State's JT Ginn is the SEC Freshman of the Year, Vanderbilt's Tim Corbin is the SEC Coach of the Year and Tennessee's Garrett Stallings is the Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Small is 8-1 with a 1.84 ERA in 83.0 inning pitched this season. In SEC games, Small limited the opposition to a .153 batting average and 99, strikeouts, both of which led the league. For the season, Small has struck out 139, which is No. 5 on Mississippi State's single-season strikeouts list. Ginn is 8-3 with a 3.12 ERA for the Bulldogs. He ranks in the top-10 in the SEC in wins, strikeouts (95) and games started (14). Ginn was twice named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week. |
| As SEC tourney begins, coaches wish for more paid help | |
| The SEC baseball tournament begins this week, and what follows is the most visible time of year for college baseball. This year, it comes just weeks after what for many was a perplexing vote on a proposal supported by the American Baseball Coaches Association. In the vote the NCAA's Division I council denied college baseball a third paid full-time assistant coach. Presently, most teams have a third assistant coach, but it is considered a volunteer position funded not by the schools they serve but through other means such as money raised through camps. "It's just an absurd rule and our guys deserve to be paid like every other sport," said MSU coach Chris Lemonis. "We just don't understand why it's not being done. In baseball, our numbers are just out of whack of coach-to-player and scholarship-to-player. We just keep getting abused as a sport because of the way it's setup. It's frustrating for us and a sore point for college baseball coaches." |
| 3 reasons Mississippi State will (and won't) win SEC Tournament | |
| Mississippi State is five wins away from the fifth 50-win season in program history. The Bulldogs could get a few victories closer to that threshold in Hoover, Alabama, at the SEC Tournament this week. If Mississippi State goes out there and wins the whole thing, the Dogs will end the week and enter the NCAA Tournament with 49 wins. Here are three reasons they can -- and can't -- reach that number by Sunday. |
| Heading to Hoover? What to do, where to eat during SEC Baseball Tournament | |
| Mississippi State and Ole Miss are competing for an SEC Tournament title this week at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. If you're reading this, you're probably heading east to cheer on the Bulldogs or Rebels. Seventh-seeded Ole Miss (33-23, 16-14 SEC) plays No. 10 seed Missouri (34-21-1, 13-16-1) on Tuesday at approximately 1 p.m. Fourth-seeded Mississippi State (45-11, 20-9) plays the winner of No. 5 seed LSU (34-22, 17-13) and No. 12 seed South Carolina (26-27, 8-22) at approximately 8:30 p.m. There is a lot of waiting around at tournaments like these for fans. Especially if -- dare they be mentioned -- there are weather delays. Here's how to pass the time in Hoover in between the Bulldogs' and Rebels' games. |
| SEC baseball tournament bracket 2019; complete schedule, times, TV channel | |
 | The 2019 SEC baseball tournament bracket was released on Saturday afternoon, with action set to begin Tuesday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Vanderbilt is the No. 1 seed, and receives a bye to Wednesday, as do No. 2 Arkansas, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Mississippi State. The SEC Network will televise all but the championship game, which will be broadcast by ESPN2. Double-elimination action begins Wednesday and runs through Saturday. The championship game is set for 2 p.m. Sunday. |
| Vanderbilt leads stacked field in Hoover | |
| Vanderbilt's blazing second half of the season has turned the Commodores into one of the favorites to win the Southeastern Conference Tournament this week in Hoover, Alabama. The Commodores (45-10, 23-7 SEC) won their first regular-season league title since 2013 by winning 14 of their final 15 league games, dominating foes with a powerful offense that paired well with solid pitching and defense. Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Georgia and Mississippi State are the top four seeds in the tournament. Mississippi State has had a fantastic season under first-year coach Chris Lemonis. The Bulldogs tied for the SEC Western Division title and won 45 games in the regular season, which is the second most in program history. Mississippi State has been one of the league's best programs the past four years despite having four different head coaches. |
| How Nashville pressed Hoover to keep SEC Baseball Tournament | |
 | Remember when Nashville failed to get the SEC Baseball Tournament? Maybe that was a good thing. Hoover is hosting the SEC Baseball Tournament for a 22nd consecutive year this week in a contract that extends through 2021. Tennessee will play Auburn in a single-elimination game at 4:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, and Vanderbilt will play the Tennessee-Auburn winner at 4:30 p.m. CT Wednesday in the double-elimination portion of the bracket. Both games will be broadcast on SEC Network. To hold tightly to the SEC Baseball Tournament after Nashville and others submitted bids in 2016, the city of Hoover spent $80 million to upgrade the tournament site. Nashville moved on to hosting the 2016 NHL All-Star Game, 2018 NCAA Basketball Tournament, 2019 NFL Draft and the SEC Basketball Tournament through 2035. But the threat of Nashville and other cities taking away the SEC Baseball Tournament from its long-time host pushed Hoover into investing major resources to keep it. And Nashville might make another run at hosting the SEC Baseball Tournament in the future. |
| Now in SEC tournament, South Carolina still playing with 'back against the wall' | |
 | South Carolina baseball rose to the moment in one must-win situation. Three days later, the Gamecocks face yet another. After the Gamecocks sneaked into the SEC tournament field on the final day of the regular season Saturday, upsetting No. 5 Mississippi State on the road, 10-8, they are set to face No. 16 LSU in the single-elimination first round of that conference tournament on Tuesday. Once again, No. 12 seed USC will face long odds against the fifth-seeded Tigers, pegged by many observers to lose. But even with those expectations, coach Mark Kingston said his team isn't approaching the game as if it had nothing to lose -- the Gamecocks are trying to hold on to that do-or-die mentality that worked against MSU. Kingston also acknowledged that the Gamecocks will likely once again be playing in a hostile environment --- LSU has a strong traveling fan base, especially at the conference tournament, which it has won 12 times over the past 32 years. |
| Saul Garza stopped trying to 'yank' home runs; LSU catcher hot before SEC tournament | |
| Catcher Saul Garza is entering the Southeastern Conference tournament having more success at the plate than he has all season. The LSU sophomore batted .636 (7 for 11) against Auburn last weekend, raising his average to its highest point in months. Garza's performance continued a month-long stretch of improvement after he struggled for most of the season. "I'm not trying to yank a homer every pitch," Garza said. "I think that's helped a lot." On April 18 against Florida, Garza homered for the first time this season. He has since hit four more home runs. He also raised his batting average from .188 last month to .257 going into the postseason. "I think I've done a better job as of late trying to stay within myself, not hit a home run every pitch," Garza said. |
| Tennessee football to offer cheap tickets through Memorial Day weekend sale | |
 | Tennessee is continuing its push to use alternative methods to sell football tickets for the upcoming season. The Vols will have a five-day sale beginning Friday and ending Tuesday. During that time, single-game tickets can be purchased at $25 and up for five different home games: Georgia State (Aug. 31), BYU (Sept. 7), Chattanooga (Sept. 14), UAB (Nov. 2) and Vanderbilt (Nov. 30). Not available at that price are home games against Georgia, Mississippi State and South Carolina. Last week, UT announced it would sell a Vol Pass for the 2019 season. That pass sells for $280 and offers tickets to all eight home games, but unlike traditional season tickets, fans will not sit in the same seat for each game and will not select their seat for the upcoming game until Monday of each home game week. They'll select from remaining available seats. Traditional season tickets also remain on sale. Tennessee's season-ticket renewal rate is at 92 percent, athletics department spokesman Tom Satkowiak said in an email last week. |
| Razorback Foundation Enforces Contract, No Payments to Bret Bielema in 2019 | |
 | The Razorback Foundation has not made a monthly buyout payment to former University of Arkansas Head Football Coach Bret Bielema in 2019 on the theory that Bielema breached his duty to seek a new job, a source familiar with the situation told Arkansas Business. The foundation's executive director, Scott Varady, confirmed Wednesday that the foundation is enforcing the terms of its 2019 buyout agreement with Bielema, who has been named defensive line coach for the New England Patriots after working with the NFL powerhouse on an unpaid basis for more than a year. Bielema was "terminated for convenience" by the UA at the end of the 2017 regular football season, and his "release and waiver agreement" called for up to 37 monthly payments of $320,833.33. The foundation has the right to reduce its monthly payments based on Bielema's earnings during the term of the agreement, which expires Dec. 31, 2020. |
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