Chris Beard Arrested After Allegedly Strangling Woman, Texas Suspends Coach
Chris Beard Arrested After Allegedly Strangling Woman ... Texas Suspends Coach
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3:54 PM PT -- According to court documents, Chris Beard's fiancée is the one who accused the UT basketball coach of getting violent with her following an argument.
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In the docs, cops say the woman told them she and Beard had been upset with each other for "a couple days regarding relationship issues" -- and at one point on Sunday night, she got angry with him and took reading glasses from the 49-year-old's hand and broke them.
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Cops say she then headed to a different room in their house -- before Beard ultimately came in "upset about his broken glasses." In the docs, police say she told them Chris then slapped the glasses she had been wearing off of her face.
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Cops say the woman told them Christopher then threw her from a bed onto the floor ... before he began choking her with his arm.
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In the docs, officers say Chris then threw her back onto the bed, and "moved his face within inches of her face," before he finally stopped.
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Police say in the documents they observed visible teeth marks and redness on her right forearm. They also noted the woman had an abrasion on her right eyebrow, an abrasion on her leg -- and a cut to her left thumb.
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Following the release of the documents, the Univ. of Texas announced Beard has been suspended indefinitely without pay.
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"The University takes matters of interpersonal violence involving members of its community seriously," the school said in announcing the punishment.
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Associate head coach Rodney Terry was named Beard's replacement for the Longhorns' game against Rice on Monday night.
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1:15 PM PT -- Chris Beard has been released from jail. He did not answer any questions as he exited the facility.
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Chris Beard remains silent as he exits the Travis County Jail. pic.twitter.com/R1m6yXnrr6
— Tyler Feldman (@TylerFeldmanTV) December 12, 2022 @TylerFeldmanTV
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It's still unclear if he'll coach Texas in its game against Rice on Monday night.
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12:17 PM PT -- Chris Beard -- wearing a striped inmate jumpsuit and handcuffs -- just had a court hearing ... in which a judge set his bond at $10,000. The judge, as part of the conditions of Beard's release, ordered the basketball coach to stay 200 yards away from the alleged victim.
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11:04 AM PT -- The Austin Police Dept. has released more details regarding Chris Beard's arrest ... saying after officers responded to a residence following the 911 call, a woman told them "she had been assaulted and strangled by" the UT men's basketball coach.
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The APD also released Beard's mug shot ... showing the 49-year-old looking stern.
Longhorns men's basketball head coach Chris Beard is in jail in Texas ... after officials say he committed an assault on one of his family/household members.
According to jail records, Beard was booked in Travis County, Texas on Monday at 2:18 AM ... on a charge of felony "assault on family/household member impede breath circulation."
A spokesperson for the Austin Police Dept. said officers were called to a residence in Austin "for a disturbance" at 12:15 AM -- and Beard was arrested a short time later. No further details surrounding the allegations have been released.
49-year-old Beard is in his second season at UT -- in 2021, he led the Longhorns to a 22-12 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance. This year, he got the team off to a 7-1 start.
The Longhorns last played on Saturday night, beating Arkansas - Pine Bluff, 88-43. Their next game is scheduled for Monday night against Rice. The school said in a statement Monday morning, "The University is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard. We are continuing to gather information and monitoring the legal process."
Originally Published -- 6:32 AM PT
