On Monday morning, news broke that the wife of Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Mia Bieniemy, was shot Sunday evening at the couple’s home in Ashburn, Virginia.
By the time Chiefs head coach Andy Reid stood at the podium following Monday’s training camp practice, news broke that Elijah Zion Bieniemy, the 27-year-old son of Eric and Mia, was in custody in connection with the shooting.
“Our hearts go out to Eric Bieniemy and his family, our thoughts and prayers are with them,” Reid said to reporters. “I can’t get into details on it, but things happen sometimes, and Eric will work through it. He has a great support group here, as does his family, as needed. We’ll just let time take care of it from there.”
“Mia is stable, which is a plus,” Reid added. “So is Eric Junior, and that’s all important.”
“We all love EB, and you hate seeing these kinds of things happen,” Reid continued. “There’s always a blessing in there somewhere; I know things will work out.”
Eric Bieniemy was not present for practice on Monday, and there is no timetable for his return as he comes together with Mia and his family
“On these things, real life, you take care of that, and that becomes important,” Reid said of Bieniemy leaving the team.
Bieniemy has been an assistant coach under Reid for a long time, and that relationship has led to Reid building an admiration for Mia.
“She’s a saint, we all know that, people that know her,” Reid said. “One of God’s good blessings… really a special person. Things happen, and you have to work through it. That’s where we’are at right now, and time will have to be involved in this to help heal a little bit, but it will all work out in the long run.”
In Bieniemy’s absence, there are two coaches that Reid is looking to step up in practice.
“Joe Bleymaier is our pass-game coordinator, and he’ll be involved there. (Offensive line coach) [Andy] Heck is the run-game coordinator… we’ll be able to keep it moving here.”
“The most important thing is that EB has the opportunity to spend some time there and take care of that business,” Reid reiterated.
“This is fresh, so we’ll just see how things go,” Reid clarified. “But the fact that she’s in stable condition, I think, is a positive for what it could be.”
The Chiefs will welcome veterans and the remaining 90-man offseason roster into training camp on Tuesday ahead of a full-team practice on Wednesday.
