Texas suspends men’s basketball coach Chris Beard after being arrested, charged with felony assault

Dec 6, 2022; New York, New York, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Chris Beard reacts as he coaches against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
By Dana O'Neil and Brian Hamilton
Dec 12, 2022

Update: On Jan. 5, Texas announced it had fired Chris Beard after being arrested late in 2022 on a third-degree felony assault charge.

Texas men’s basketball coach Chris Beard was arrested on a third-degree felony assault charge Monday morning in Austin, according to the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. Later Monday, the school suspended Beard without pay.

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Beard, 49, was charged with assault by strangulation/suffocation – family violence and booked into Travis County Jail, per a statement released Monday by the Austin Police Department. APD said it received a 911 call for a disturbance around 12:15 a.m. in the 1900 block of Vista Lane in Austin’s Tarrytown neighborhood.

“The caller reported the disturbance was no longer ongoing and one of the individuals had left the house,” police said. “APD officers responded and located a woman who stated she had been assaulted and strangled by Christopher Michael Beard.”

Beard’s bond was set at $10,000 during a hearing Monday, per the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. An additional condition of the bond requires Beard to stay 200 yards away from the victim and from his house as the case is pending. There is also a protection order in place, meaning Beard cannot communicate in a threatening way with the victim through Feb. 10, 2023.

In a statement issued early Monday evening, the school suspended Beard prior to the team’s game versus Rice.

“The University takes matters of interpersonal violence involving members of its community seriously. Given the information available, The University has suspended Chris Beard from his position as head coach of Men’s Basketball and will withhold his pay until further notice. Associate Head Coach Rodney Terry will serve as acting head coach for tonight’s game against Rice.”

Beard is in his second season with the Longhorns after taking over the program in April 2021. The team is currently No. 7 in the AP Top 25 poll.

Prior to taking the job in Austin, Beard coached five seasons at Texas Tech.

(Photo: Brad Penner / USA Today)

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