Ex-Arkansas coach Bret Bielema lands with Patriots as 'consultant' to Bill Belichick
Former Arkansas coach Bret Bielema has joined the New England Patriots as a "consultant" to head coach Bill Belichick, according to a listing in the team's media guide that was released to local media Tuesday.
Bielema, who was one of the most gregarious and recognizable coaches in college football, was fired by the Razorbacks in late November after guiding them to a 29–34 record in five seasons. His new job under Belichick will be his first in the NFL.
Though his title had not been formally announced prior to the media-guide listing, Bielema has spent much of the spring already working with the team. ESPN reported that he spent time working with New England's special-teams unit this spring.
When asked in May about Bielema's role with the team and how he would fit in moving forward, Belichick was disinterested in providing details.
"We have a good staff. We have a lot of great people," Belichick told reporters. "I'm very fortunate to be working with a lot of talented people and they all help me a lot. They all do a great job — our support people, our coaching staff, scouting staff, all the other people in video, training, equipment and so forth, operations. We have a real good support staff and they all do a critical job as part of our success. Glad we have them."
The Patriots will report to training camp Wednesday.
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Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.