The University of Texas at Austin head men’s basketball coach Chris Beard was arrested early Monday morning on felony domestic violence charges.
Austin police were called to a residence on Vista Lane after receiving reports of a “disturbance hotshot” or “an immediate threat to life and/or public safety.”
Austin police confirmed to ESPN that they arrested Beard, and he was booked around 4:18 a.m. on third-degree assault charges after allegedly strangling a family member.
The University released a statement that read, “The University is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard. We are continuing to gather information and monitoring the legal process.”
Beard’s attorney Perry Q. Minton released the following statement to CBS Austin:
“Coach Beard is 100 percent innocent of these charges. He should have never been arrested. The complainant wants him released immediately and all charges dismissed. It is truly inconceivable.”
The Longhorns hired Beard in 2021 after five seasons as the head coach at Texas Tech, where he previously spent ten seasons as an assistant coach. During that time, he turned around a program that had losing records in five of its previous six seasons, sent multiple players to the NBA, and led the Red Raiders to the 2019 NCAA national championship game.
He also coached the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to a 30-5 record and an appearance in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Texas is currently ranked No.7 in the country with a 7-1 record and is scheduled to play Rice on Monday night. The Longhorns will also play Louisiana, Stanford, and Texas A&M-Commerce before beginning Big 12 conference play against Oklahoma on December 31.
Further details of the situation are still unknown at this point.
Update
The University suspended Beard without pay “until further notice” just before the Longhorns’ 87-81 overtime victory against Rice on Monday night.
Its statement read, “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.”
According to the arrest report, Beard’s fiancee answered the door and told police that she and Beard had been arguing about their relationship for days, and it had turned physical. She said she purposely broke his reading glasses, then Beard “choked me, threw me off the bed, bit me, bruises all over my leg, throwing me around, and going nuts” in retaliation.
Beard is being charged with third-degree assault on a family or household member/impeding breath circulation. He told police he has audio recordings proving his innocence yet refused to share them.
Bail was set at $10,000, and Beard is not allowed within 200 yards of the victim or the home where the incident transpired. He posted bail and was released on Monday afternoon.
Associate head coach Rodney Terry will lead the Longhorns in his absence.