The Kansas City Chiefs say there is still no timeline for offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to return to the team as his wife, Mia Bieniemy, continues recovering after she was critically wounded in a shooting at the family’s Virginia home.
While Bieniemy remains away from training camp to be with his family, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said the longtime coach has continued to stay involved with the team from afar, even monitoring practices remotely.
At the same time, additional details surrounding the criminal investigation have emerged, including previous contacts between Loudoun County authorities and the Bieniemy family in the weeks leading up to the July 26 shooting.
Brett Veach Says Eric Bieniemy Is Still Coaching From Afar
Speaking with reporters Thursday, Veach described how determined Bieniemy has been to remain connected despite taking time away from football.
According to The Athletic, the Chiefs have provided Bieniemy with a live video feed of practice, allowing him to watch drills remotely.
That attention to detail showed up earlier this week when Veach received an unexpected phone call while standing on the practice field.
“I answer the phone, and he’s like, ‘Hey, put Coach on,'” Veach said with a smile.
Veach said Bieniemy wanted to speak with head coach Andy Reid to relay a coaching point to rookie running back Emmett Johnson after noticing the rookie was lined up incorrectly during a drill.
“That’s the thing … it’s so refreshing to have back — that attention to detail,” Veach said. “He demands each player knows his assignment. There’s never a safe space with him.”
The Chiefs brought Bieniemy back this offseason to replace Matt Nagy after the offense struggled during Kansas City’s 6-11 campaign in 2025.
Veach said Bieniemy’s coaching style is helping restore the accountability the organization believes was missing last season.
“Every organization and every team and every player and each position group — everyone needs a kick in the (expletive),” Veach said. “And so him being out there and hearing that voice, whether it be ‘Finish’ or ‘Alignment’ or whatever … he demands that you are buttoned up on your details, and that is a mirror image of coach and how he wants things run.”
Earlier this week, Reid also addressed Bieniemy’s absence, making it clear the organization is focused on supporting him and his family.
“He just needs to take care of business there,” Reid said. “And when he gets back here, he gets back here.”
Reid added Monday that Mia “keeps improving by the day” after previously confirming she had been transferred out of the intensive care unit.
New Investigation Details Emerge Following Mia Bieniemy Shooting
As the Chiefs continue preparing for the season, additional information has surfaced about the investigation into the shooting.
According to incident reports also obtained by The Athletic through public records requests, Loudoun County deputies responded to multiple calls involving the Bieniemy residence during the two months before the shooting.
One report states that on July 24, two days before the shooting, a 27-year-old man called authorities claiming his parents were withholding firearms that belonged to him.
According to the report, the caller said: “his parents are withholding his weapons and that he’s a certified UFC fighter, so now he feels like he cannot defend himself.”
The report also states that the caller “kept rambling on” about having CPR certification and expressed concern that he would be unable to help someone if needed.
The caller told deputies that his parents required him to surrender his firearms if he wanted to continue living in the home and said they refused to return them when he wanted to go to a shooting range.
Authorities classified the call as urgent but not life-threatening.
Deputies responded to a welfare check request on June 1 after a counselor at a remote college expressed concern about the well-being of a 27-year-old student. According to the report, deputies determined that no one had access to weapons, and the incident did not require an urgent response.
A separate June 22 incident report also documented a call involving the residence, although nearly all details were redacted.
On July 26, authorities allege Elijah Bieniemy, 27, shot his mother inside the family’s Ashburn, Virginia, home.
He was arrested and charged with malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and discharging a firearm inside a dwelling.
During a court hearing last week, Elijah’s attorney requested a mental health evaluation, writing in court filings that his client “appears to suffer from significant mental health issues” and “does not appear able to assist in his own defense at the present time.”
Chiefs Announce No Timeline for Eric Bieniemy’s Return as New Heartbreaking Details Emerge in Wife’s Shooting