University of Texas Fires Chris Beard
The University of Texas will be looking for a new men's basketball coach after announcing that the University had fired Head Coach Chris Beard. Texas Athletics Director Chris Del Conte announced the decision on Thursday.
Beard was reportedly fired "for cause" after being arrested on December 14 around 4:00 a.m. Beard was arrested after Austin Police were called to his home after a domestic disturbance. Beard was charged with assault by strangulation/suffocation, family violence, for a third-degree felony. Beard was accused of choking and hitting his fiancée.
Even though she accused Beard of choking her, Beard's fiancée issued a statement on December 23, apologizing for her roll in the incident and claiming she never wanted Beard arrested and that he had not choked her.
According to KAMC, Beard was informed Thursday of his termination.
“This has been a difficult situation that we’ve been diligently working through. Today I informed Mr. Beard of our decision to terminate him effective immediately. We thank Coach Rodney Terry for his exemplary leadership both on and off the court at a time when our team needed it most. We are grateful he will remain the acting head coach for the remainder of the season. We are proud of our student-athletes, coaches and staff, who throughout this difficult time have continued to make us proud to be Longhorns,” Del Conte wrote in the release.
Beard's record at the University of Texas is 29-13 over parts of two seasons. Beard spent five seasons with Texas Tech where he compiled 112 wins and led the Red Raiders to the National Championship game in 2019 which Tech lost to Virginia.