Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy says his wife, Mia, encouraged him to get back to work after joking that his time at home was starting to drive her “crazy.”
Bieniemy, 57, had been excused indefinitely from Chiefs training camp following a shocking incident at the family’s Virginia home on July 26. He returned to the team two weeks later, saying it was “great to be back” after a deeply difficult period for his family.
According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, the couple’s 27-year-old son, Elijah, was charged with malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and discharging a firearm inside a dwelling. The charges came after a shooting that left Mia seriously injured with “multiple gunshot wounds.”
Bieniemy, who rejoined Kansas City this offseason after previously winning two Super Bowls with the franchise as offensive coordinator from 2018 to 2022, has now addressed the situation publicly for the first time. He said Mia played a key role in pushing him to return to Chiefs camp, while also sharing an encouraging update on her recovery.
Speaking at the start of his post-practice press conference on Tuesday, Bieniemy thanked reporters “for all the love, the support” they had shown during the ordeal.
“Obviously the unfortunate circumstances that took place is very hurtful in a way,” he said, “but on top of that, I just respect that you guys are respecting our privacy, and hats off to you.”
Eric Bieniemy returned to Chiefs training camp after being excused for two weeks
Bieniemy said his wife, Mia, encouraged him to return to work after she was shot at their home
Elijiah Bieniemy, the son of Eric and Mia, was arrested over the shooting in Virginia
‘I also would like to say thank you to the Hunt family, the entire Chiefs family, for the outpouring the love and support that my family has received through this particular situation.
‘But with all that being said, we’re back to football and I’m all ears.’
He later revealed his wife had given him the green light to return to Kansas City, after he had been staying in close contact with the team remotely while being with her during her initial recovery.
‘She is on a road to recovery,’ Bieniemy said. ‘She is doing great.
‘It’s one of the main reasons why I’m back here because of her recovery. She is truly a soldier. She’s a saint. It’s been incredible to watch, but I know I was driving her and a bunch of family members crazy in the house.
‘I was yelling at the screen, yelling at players, yelling at coaches – ‘What the hell are we doing?!’ I’m yelling at myself, ‘Why would you put that play in!?’ Bieniemy said, smiling. ‘At the end of the day, I was making sure I was keeping up with what was going on.
‘So she was like, ‘You have my blessing to leave, so it was time to get back.’
Bieniemy shared that his language caught some of his family members by surprise as he watched practices via video link
‘Technology is pretty impressive,’ he said. ‘My language probably got a little colorful in the house. I had a bunch of family members that were there that really never heard some of the language that was used. It felt good just to see the guys work and to feel like I was still a part of it.’
Mia called 911 herself following the incident as dispatchers warned responders that ‘the son still has a weapon currently located within the home.’
According to NBC Washington, she still has fragments of bullet inside her following surgery she required after being shot in the left forearm and shoulder by a bullet that traveled across her chest.
After being taken into custody, Elijah has been held by police without bond. A Virginia judge recently approved a motion for a formal mental health evaluation after court documents filed by his public defender saying he ‘appears to suffer from significant mental health issues.’
