Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy waves to fans while walking down to the field for practice at Chiefs training camp on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in St. Joseph, Mo. (Emily Curiel/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) Kansas City Star via Getty Images
Eric Bieniemy said on Tuesday that his wife Mia is “doing great” and on the “road to recovery” three weeks after she was shot at the couple’s Virginia home. The Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator was meeting with reporters for the first time since Mia Bienemy suffered gunshot wounds to her arm and chest on July 26. "It's one of the main reasons why I'm back here, because of her recovery," Bieniemy said. "She's truly a soldier. She's a saint and it's been incredible to watch. But I know I was driving her and a bunch of my family members crazy in the house, so she was like ‘you have my blessing to leave.’ It was time to get back.” The couple’s son, 27-year-old Elijah Bieniemy, was arrested on charges of malicious wounding, use of a firearm in commission of a felony and discharge of a firearm inside a dwelling. In a court filing, his lawyer said he "appears to suffer from significant mental health issues" and "does not appear able to assist in his own defense at the present time." Bienemy, who had been at training camp when the news broke about the shooting, said that once the situation settled at home he was able to watch a livestream of Chiefs practices to stay connected to the team. "It was just [about] keep making sure I can keep up with what was going on," Bienemy said. "On top of that I didn't want to get away too far, but I just wanted to make sure that I could remain focus and locked in when I could have an opportunity to do so.”
Bieniemy is in his first season back with the Chiefs. He was Kansas City's OC from 2018-2022, helping the team win Super Bowl LIV and LVII. "It feels good to be back,” Bienemy said Tuesday. “First and foremost, it's an opportunity to get back in with the guys, to watch them work that way now we can all grow and get to learning each other. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of new faces and we want to continue the developmental process. “But it feels good to be back because 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.”