Who is Chris Bart?
What we know about the Texas men’s basketball coach and his arrest
Beard’s attorney, Perry Minton, told American-Statesman, “Coach Beard is 100 percent innocent of these charges. He should never have been arrested. The petitioners are seeking his immediate release and dismissal of all charges. This is simply unthinkable.”
According to Beard’s affidavit, an officer answered the 911 call just after midnight and was greeted at the door by a woman posing as Beard’s fiancé. The woman told officers that she and Beard had been upset for several days over relationship issues. When asked by officers if the altercation was physical, the woman said yes, according to police.
“He just snapped at me and got really mean,” she said, according to an affidavit.
The woman said she took Beard’s reading glasses and broke them. The beard, he told police, then knocked his glasses off his face.
Then Beard “choked me, threw me out of bed, bit me, bruised all over my legs, threw me and I went mad,” he said, according to an affidavit.
The woman told police that Beard put his arm around her neck behind her and choked her for five seconds, making it difficult for her to breathe.
While police were on the scene, Beard said they had audio recordings of the incident which showed he was not the primary aggressor. Police said Beard did not want to share the footage.
According to the affidavit, the woman’s injuries included: a bite mark on her right arm, a scratch on her right eyebrow, a scratch on her left leg from knee to foot, and a lacerated wound on her left thumb in dried blood. In additional information, the woman complained of lacerations on her back and right eye, bite marks on her right hand, scratches and bruises on her left leg, and lacerations on her left hand.
Beard and the woman have been together for six years and engaged for three, according to an affidavit. They share the same apartment.
Bird, 49, is in his second season in Austin. Before replacing Shaka Smart in 2021, he spent five seasons at Texas Tech and led the Red Raiders to the 2019 NCAA Championship game. Byrd, who also coached at Fort Scott Community College, Seminole State College, McMurry University, Angelo State and Arkansas, Little Rock was graduated from UT in 1995.
On being hired by UT in 2021, Beard was given a seven-year contract with an annual salary of $5 million.
A clause in the contract allows the university to terminate or suspend Beard for “Any conduct (a) reasonably determined by the university administration to be clearly inappropriate for the head coach and reflects badly on the university, program, or system.” Texas hurling university; or (b) bring criminal charges against the head coach in relation to a crime or misconduct involving theft, dishonesty or unethical behavior.”
This is a standard clause in the UT study contract.
No. 7 Byrd Longhorns (7-1) last played Saturday, winning 88-43 over the Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Terry, in his second stint as an assistant to the Longhorns, previously served as head coach at UTEP (2018-21) and Fresno State (2011-18). He originally trained in Texas from 2002 to 2011 on the staff of former UT coach Rick Barnes. Beard’s staff also includes assistant coaches Brandon Chappell and Bob Donwald Jr., and Chris Ogden, who serves as the team’s general manager, was head coach at UT-Arlington from 2018-21.
Chris Beard, the University of Texas men’s basketball head coach, was arrested Monday morning and charged with assaulting a family member. He was released after posting $10,000 bail.
The second-year Longhorns coach was suspended “until further notice” without pay from UT, according to a statement. Assistant head coach Rodney Terry will head coach of Texas for Monday night’s game against Rice.
Austin Police spokesman Brandon Jones said Beard was charged with choking a man at a home in the Tarrytown neighborhood of west Austin. Officers responded to a 911 call at 2:07 a.m. Monday.
According to Travis County Sheriff’s jail records, Beard was put in jail at 4:18 am. He is facing third degree felony charges for assaulting a family/household member who couldn’t breathe.
Texas men’s basketball coach Chris Beard was arrested Monday morning and charged with assaulting a family member. He was sent to Travis Country Jail and bail was later set at $10,000.
UT released a brief statement about the arrests this morning, saying: “The university is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard. We are continuing to gather information and are monitoring the legal process.”
This is an evolving story; check again for updates
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