O’Neil: It’s time for Texas to act and remove Chris Beard as its coach

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 18: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Longhorns looks on from the sidelines in the first half of the game against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the first round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Fiserv Forum on March 18, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
By Dana O'Neil
Dec 27, 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.

Here are the facts:

In April 2021, when Texas signed Chris Beard to a seven-year, $5 million annual deal, it included — per the Austin-American Statesman, which released a copy of the contract — a standard conduct clause written into every Longhorns coaching contract. It allows the university to terminate or suspend Beard with cause if, “Any conduct (a) that the University administration reasonably determines is clearly unbecoming to a Head Coach and reflects poorly on the University, the Program, or The University of Texas System; or (b) resulting in a criminal charge being brought against Head Coach involving a felony, or any crime involving theft, dishonesty, or moral turpitude.”

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On Dec. 12, police responded to a 911 call from the 1900 block of Vista Lane in Austin, Beard’s home. According to police report, officers found a woman who said “she had been assaulted and strangled by Christopher Michael Beard.’’ In the police affidavit, officers said his fiancée, Randi Trew, told them Beard “choked me, bit me, bruises all over my leg, throwing me around, and going nuts.’’ Officers noted a bite mark on her arm and abrasions on her face and leg.

They charged Beard with assault by strangulation/suffocation on a family member, a third-degree felony, and took him to Travis County jail.

Hours later, Beard stood before a magistrate, wearing a gray and black striped prison jumpsuit, his hands cuffed before him as the judge explained that he could no longer go within 200 yards of his home or Trew. Texas suspended Beard without pay.

On Friday, 11 days after Beard’s arrest, Trew issued a statement through her lawyer, saying that Beard had not attempted to strangle her and she never wanted him to be charged. “Chris did not strangle me, and I told that to law enforcement that evening. Chris has stated that he was acting in self-defense, and I do not refute that. I do not believe Chris was trying to intentionally harm me in any way. It was never my intent to have him arrested or prosecuted. We appreciate everyone’s support and prayers during this difficult time.”

The statement was issued a little after 6 p.m. local time, after the Austin police department public information office, which handles media calls, had closed. The district attorney’s office also had wrapped up business for the extended holiday weekend.

The university responded with its own statement: “We are reviewing the statement from Randi Trew. This matter is the subject of an internal investigation and the university does not comment on pending investigations.”

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As of today, the case against Beard still exists. He is, per his case record, scheduled for a hearing on Jan. 18. By Texas law, the district attorney can choose to pursue a case with or without Trew’s cooperation.

None of that is disputable. It happened.

The gray area — what actually happened between Beard and Trew, and where your opinion might lie on women recanting statements of alleged assault — is what some might say makes this messy or complicated.

Except it doesn’t. Texas gave itself an out clause. And it needs to use it.

Texas has the right to terminate an employee of its state university for conduct unbecoming and for being charged — not found guilty, but just being charged — with a felony. Beard, cuffed and head bowed, standing before a magistrate on the afternoon that the Longhorns played Rice would, in the eyes of most, satisfy the conduct unbecoming portion of the clause.

Yet even if you want to look past that somehow, the second part is not up for discussion. Charged with a felony. Period. Goodbye.

So what gives? Why is mighty Texas, the institution so big that it has its own TV network, the university so appealing it’s been gobbled up by the Southeastern Conference, and the state that prides itself on being bigger, badder and better than any other, being held hostage by a basketball coach?

It’s impossible to answer that, of course, since no one aside from acting head coach Rodney Terry, has said a word. The silence is deafening and subject to all sorts of speculation. So into the void, then, let’s invite the most likely of speculative assumptions: money. Firing people is tricky at any level. Firing high-profile people embroiled in complex legal cases is not easy, and when the lawyers get involved, simple decisions can become far more complicated. No doubt Beard’s side is arguing for reinstatement at best and, at worst, some sort of buyout. Lawsuits make people nervous.

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So call the bluff, Texas. Invite the discovery.

Besides, this goes beyond the scope of athletic director Chris del Conte, or even Texas president Jay Hartzell. This lands directly at the feet of the Board of Regents, appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott and charged with overseeing the University of Texas system.

Their resumes, no surprise, read like a who’s who of the state’s elite and powerful, each not only successful in their own right but sitting on numerous boards across Texas. Board chairman Kevin Eltife is a former state senator and mayor of Tyler, Texas, and owner of a commercial real estate company. Vice-chair Janiece Longoria is an attorney and one of the founding members of the university’s Center for Women in Law. Vice-chair James “Rad” Weaver is chairman of an investment firm and is a director on the San Antonio branch of the Federal Reserve Bank. The university’s school of social work bears the name of regent Steven Hicks, thanks to his donation to the project. Nolan Perez is a physician and Kelcy Warren a CEO of an energy company. Jodie Lee Jiles is in commercial real estate, and Stuart Stedman is in investments.

These are people who make important, complex and expensive decisions every day. Who understand the consequences of both actions and inaction.

And who, above all else, can read a contract. They had to approve Beard’s contract in order for him to get the job. Presumably, they read it.

There is no good endgame here, no end around. There is no way that Chris Beard casually puts on the burnt orange again and walks the sideline like nothing happened, and everyone just gets along with the business of basketball.

And frankly, there doesn’t need to be.

Texas, mighty mighty Texas, gave itself an out clause.

It just needs to use it.

(Top photo: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)

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Dana O'Neil

Dana O’Neil, a senior writer for The Athletic, has worked for more than 25 years as a sports writer, covering the Final Four, the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals and NHL playoffs. She has worked previously at ESPN and the Philadelphia Daily News. She is the author of three books, including "The Big East: Inside the Most Entertaining and Influential Conference in College Basketball History." Follow Dana on Twitter @DanaONeilWriter