After he was arrested on third-degree felony charges nearly a month ago, Chris Beard has been fired from his position as head men’s basketball coach at The University of Texas, the school announced. Beard was arrested for allegedly strangling, biting and assaulting his fiancée, Randi Trew.
“The University of Texas has parted ways with Chris Beard. This has been a difficult situation that we’ve been diligently working through,” Texas vice president and athletic director Chris Del Conte said in a statement. “Today I informed Mr. Beard of our decision to terminate him effective immediately.”
According to CBS Sports, Beard was fired for cause. When he signed with Texas ahead of the 2021-22 season, the deal was worth $35 million over seven years. Because he was fired for cause, Beard will not be given any salary or buyout money from the deal. He was suspended without pay on Dec. 12, 2022 after the incident, and was not able to be around the team.
Trew has told multiple stories since the night of the arrest. She originally told police of the incident that Beard “choked me, threw me off the bed, bit me, bruises all over my leg, throwing me around, and going nuts.” This was on Dec. 12. On Dec. 23, eleven days later, Trew retracted her statement and said she was the initiator of the incident, and that Beard did not strangle her and she did not tell police that. The reports state that is what she said, but Trew says otherwise but does not disagree with the fact of Beard acting in self-defense. “It was never my intent to have him arrested or prosecuted,” Trew said.
The charges against Beard have not yet been dropped by the District Attorney’s Office in Austin, Texas. His next court date is scheduled for Jan. 18. He is not allowed within 200 yards of his home or fiancée per an emergency protective order. The order lasts at least until Feb. 10, 2023.
After much success at Little Rock and Texas Tech, Beard and Longhorns fans alike were excited for him to return to his alma mater and become coach in 2021. Texas is still doing well this season despite Beard being off the sidelines for so long. The No. 6 Longhorns are 12-2 and have won five of their six games under interim head coach Rodney Terry. Texas’ next game is Saturday at Oklahoma State.
“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,” Del Conte added in his statement. “We are proud of our student-athletes, coaches and staff, who throughout this difficult time have continued to make us proud to be Longhorns.”
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