Texas men’s basketball head coach Chris Beard was arrested Monday morning on a felony domestic violence charge.
Chris Beard : arrested | domestic violence | is married
Christopher Michael Beard is an American basketball coach who is the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Texas at Austin.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 18, 1973 Marietta, Georgia |
| Alma mater | Texas Abilene Christian |
He previously coached at Texas Tech, Little Rock, Angelo State, and McMurry. Beard graduated from high school from McCullough High School in The Woodlands, Texas.
Also he was a manager at Texas under former Longhorns coach Tom Penders, graduating in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology.
He received a Masters of Education from Abilene Christian University where he served as a graduate assistant in 1998.
Chris Beard arrested
Texas men’s basketball coach Chris Beard was arrested early Monday morning and charged with assault on a family/household member, a third-degree felony, according to Tony Plohetski of the Austin American-Statesman and Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.
Beard is reportedly still in police custody. Texas is scheduled to play Rice at home tonight. https://t.co/5vobo6jL7s
— Brendan Quinn (@BFQuinn) December 12, 2022
Austin police reported to a “disturbance hot shot” at 12:15 a.m. local time, per Norlander.
According to the Travis County Sheriff’s Office (via The Athletic), Beard’s official charge is “assault by strangulation/suffocation – family violence.”
Beard is engaged and has three daughters from a previous marriage.
“An additional condition of the bond requires Beard to stay 200 yards away from the victim and from his house as the case is pending. There is also a protection order in place, meaning Beard cannot communicate in a threatening way with the victim through Feb. 10, 2023.”
Dana O’Neil of The Athletic reported on Monday afternoon that it appears Beard is no longer in jail:
Chris Beard's name no longer appears in the Travis County inmate search. From my understanding from the office there, that means he is no longer in jail.
— Dana O'Neil (@DanaONeilWriter) December 12, 2022
The Longhorns are scheduled to face Rice at the Moody Center in Austin on Monday at 8 p.m. ET.
“The University is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard,” the school said in a statement. “We are continuing to gather information and monitoring the legal process.”
The 49-year-old is in his second season with Texas, joining his alma mater after spending the previous five years with Texas Tech.
Chris Beard domestic violence
Texas men’s basketball coach Chris Beard, 49 was arrested early Monday morning after allegedly strangling a person at a home. Beard was booked at 4:18 a.m. CT with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office seeking a felony third-degree assault charge, according to police records.
Police responded to a “disturbance hot shot” 9-1-1 call, defined as “incidents which are in progress and are an immediate threat to life and/or public safety (i.e. shootings, stabbings, rapes, riots). These calls are dispatched immediately.”
The Austin Police Department issued this release Monday afternoon regarding Beard’s arrest: “On December 12, 2022, at approximately 12:15 a.m., the Austin Police Department (APD) received a 9-1-1 call for a disturbance in the 1900 block of Vista Lane.
The caller reported the disturbance was no longer ongoing and one of the individuals had left the house. APD officers responded and located a woman who stated she had been assaulted and strangled by Christopher Michael Beard.
Beard was booked into Travis County Jail. He is charged with Assault by Strangulation/Suffocation – Family Violence, a third degree felony.”
Beard, who remains in police custody, went before a magistrate judge in Austin Municipal Court on Monday afternoon and had his bail set at $10,000, according to official court records.
There is a protective order active until at least Feb. 10, 2023, the terms of which prevent Beard from being within 200 yards of the alleged victim or the residence at which the 9-1-1 call was made. Beard is also not allowed to carry a firearm at this time.
Is married
The basketball coach and Leslie tied the knot on Aug. 31, 1996.
They have three daughters, Avery, Ella and Margo. Leslie and Chris both have strong ties to Texas and have graduated from the same high school.
Right now, it is unknown whether Chris Beard’s wife was a victim of domestic violence. However, we should be able to get more information soon.
No matter who the victim was, this behavior was unacceptable and the Texas Longhorns head coach will most likely be either fired or suspended following the incident.