Texas Basketball Coach Chris Beard Fired Amid Serious Charge

The University of Texas fired men's basketball coach Chris Beard Thursday (January 5) amid a felony domestic family violence charge stemming from an incident involving his fiancée last month, the Associated Press reports, citing a letter of termination sent to Beard's attorney.

Beard was arrested in Austin on a charge of assault by strangulation/suffocation family violence on December 12, which carries a potential of two to 10-year prison sentence if convicted.

Police said the woman told them that Beard had strangled and bit her at the scene, but she later denied that he choked her.

“Chris did not strangle me, and I told that to law enforcement that evening,” said Randi Trew, who publicly identified herself in a statement obtained by the AP. “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.”

Trew didn't elaborate on why an emergency call was made or address other details provided to and observed by officers in their police report.

Beard has been suspended without pay since his arrest last month and university officials said an internal investigation was being conducted prior to Thursday's decision.

Beard, a Texas alum, took over as the Longhorns' head coach in 2021 and went 29-13 (10-8 Big 12) during his tenure in Austin.

The 49-year-old had previously coached at McMurry (2012-13), Angelo State (2013-15), Little Rock (2015-16) and Texas Tech (2016-21), which included leading the Red Raiders to an NCAA Tournament Finals appearance in 2019.