Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said his wife is on the “road to recovery” from last month’s shooting and gave him her blessing to go back to work.
“She is doing great,” Bieniemy said Tuesday, speaking to reporters for the first time since he returned to training camp on Aug. 10.
“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. She was like, ‘You have my blessing to leave.’ So, it was time to come back.”
Mia Bieniemy was treated for multiple gunshot wounds following the July 26 shooting inside the couple’s home in Ashburn, Va.
Their son, Elijah Bieniemy, 27, was arrested the next day and charged with malicious wounding, use of a firearm in commission of a felony and discharge of a firearm inside of a dwelling. He will reportedly undergo a mental health evaluation before the case proceeds.
Eric Bieniemy, who contributed to a pair of Super Bowl championships as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator from 2018-22, returned to Kansas City this offseason. In the interim, he had stints with the Washington Commanders (offensive coordinator), UCLA (offensive coordinator) and Chicago Bears (running backs coach) while Matt Nagy was Kansas City’s offensive coordinator.
“It feels good to be back. First and foremost, obviously, it’s an opportunity to get back in with the guys, to watch them work,” Bieniemy, 57, said Tuesday. “That way, now, we can all grow and get to learning each other. Obviously, we got a lot of new faces, and we want to continue the developmental process. But it feels good to be back because, obviously, when you’ve been in this environment, it becomes your family.
“This is your family away from your family. So, it feels good to be in this environment.”
The Chiefs play their second preseason contest on Saturday at Tampa Bay. They open the regular season at home against Denver on Sept. 14.