Texas Basketball Coach Charged With Domestic Assault

Chris Beard's lawyer calls arrest 'truly inconceivable'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 12, 2022 4:25 PM CST
Texas Basketball Coach Charged With Domestic Assault
Texas head coach Chris Beard looks on during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas Rio Grande Valley, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, in Austin, Texas. Texas won 91-54.   (AP Photo/Michael Thomas)

University of Texas men's basketball head coach Chris Beard was arrested and taken to jail early Monday after a report of a domestic assault. The Travis County Sheriff's Office says the 49-year-old was charged with assault on a family or household member/impeding breath circulation, the Athletic reports. A person at a home in Austin's Tarrytown neighborhood reportedly was choked, per the Daily Texan. Police records state that officers responded to a "disturbance-urgent" call at 2:07am Monday and that Neard was booked into jail around two hours later. The charge is a third-degree felony in Texas with a possible sentence of between two and 10 years in prison, reports the AP.

Jail records showed that Beard was still in jail Monday morning and hadn't posted bond. "Coach Beard is 100% innocent of these charges," Perry Minton, Beard's attorney, told the Austin American-Statesman. "He should never have been arrested. The complainant wants him released immediately and all charges dismissed. It is truly inconceivable." Beard is in his second year as Longhorns head coach. Before returning to his alma mater, he was head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders for five years. He is on a seven-year contract, which states that he can be terminated or suspended if he is charged with a felony or engages in conduct that is "clearly unbecoming to a Head Coach and reflects poorly on the University," per the American-Statesman. (More Texas Longhorns stories.)

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